It will be that time soon and I am patiently waiting to get in the shallows with the crappie. I have a question for those of you that wade also. Have you ever come across a gator? I encounter snakes often but hopefully will never cross paths with a gator. I usually wade Fork, Tawakoni, Hubbard and Lavon. Have seen pics of the ones in Fork and Hubbard but thankfully not in the flesh. Would probably come out of my waders, run on water and give it up. Has anyone else that gets in the water had any encounters.

I saw one 3 footer on Fork one day but I was in a boat and he/she was on the bank. I steered clear anyway.

I would think the alligator might come to you if your catch was bleeding if he was in the water and hungry.

I wouldn't keep my crappie basket too close...I had a buddy wading the bay, and he had a floating basket he kept tied to his belt....while he was concentrating on his next catch, a little tug at the waste and a glance over his shoulder, revealed a 5-6 foot bull shark shredding his basket....he fishes from the jetties now....

All you got to do is ask your self what would the gator boys do? Then get out slowly...Actually, a 5 foot or smaller gator will give you a fairly wide berth if you slap the water with your rod a few times (10 yards or so)...its the 6 foot plus gators you have to worry about...they are big enough to take on a grown man...my advice is don't panic, just back up on the bank and move on to another spot. If you get into arms length jab them in the eye with something hard (big beaver sticks work real well, that is, if you don't carry a pistol and knife, as some of us do.. I personally don't like fishing in gator holes, but i have done so enough to know how to keep from being a meal (so far) Hope this info helps.

They make wade fishing stringers that are about 25 foot long with floats on the end to keep the stringer away from you...seems someone didn't like fishing the jetties! They work really well, even in gator water!

I have seen 2-3, 5'-6'ers on Fork while Duck Hunting during the early warm part of the season. They never caused us a problem or give us any reason to be concerned, beside just being there. Heard of some hunting dog missing, so I didn't let my dog get to far. But once the water started cooling, never would see them again.



keith

have never encountered a close up gator , dont think i want to if its about my size or bigger ......
imho....
one could possibly not be THE apex predator in such conditions...

No encounters with Gators. But spent many a summer wade fishing with sharks in the surf and bay between Mansfield and SPI. Never had a problem but like I said those weren't Gators.

To keep it in perspective, the drive to and from the water is much more dangerous!

I have wade fished in a gator preserve in central Florida and my cousin thought it would be great fun to toss a lure to the gater to see what its reaction would be. I told him you aint no crocodile dundee, quit doing that, we were too deep in the water to carry a gun with us and too far from any shore to get out fast enough.

nuts to wade fork , i saw a gator that was a 10 ft er , i pass not fork or cado

Those Gators will never bother you. Leave it alone and it will leave you alone. There is plenty of food for them there not going ro eat you. Stay away from thier nest.

Well, I have had some very up close and personal encounters with gators while in/on the water and I will tell you that any 8 ft plus gator can/will get beside you quickly especially during breeding season. In fact, any thing over 10 ft can be quite aggressive at any time of the year, as they tend to be highly territorial, if not down right mean. Also, if you get into a run-in with a big bull gator while in your boat...lay down flat in the bottom of the boat so they can't knock you out of the boat...they have a nasty habit of torpedo assaults on your boat...they can throw you out of the boat and capsize the boat as well...I really hate running up on a big bull or getting too close to a nest in a two man boat, because you just cant drop low enough and there is no stability against a torpedo attack.

yes, they crawl into holes and hibernate most of the winter.