So after our little trip today, I realized that I do o.k. in the shallow creeks, but swampy areas, which seem to have a ton of fish in them, scare me senseless. I am afraid to get in there because I am paranoid about alligators. I think they are rare up here in the florida panhandle, but they are definitely here. Any comments or suggestions?

Another thing I wanted to ask was if anyone could confirm that I can use a cast net in freshwater. I think it's okay as long as I'm not targeting game species, but I want to be certain before I gear up for it. I threw a 6ft , 8ft mullet, and 10ft bait net in saltwater for several years. If everything is kosher with net throwing, then I'd probably go with a 6ft net 1/8", as I'd need some accuracy and a limited net area to avoid snags.

Thanks!

I feel the same way you do; if there's the chance of an alligator in the water, then I'm not going to be. That's what's stopping me from going and collecting my own Elassoma gilberti from the wild.

I feel the same way you do; if there's the chance of an alligator in the water, then I'm not going to be. That's what's stopping me from going and collecting my own Elassoma gilberti from the wild.

Glad I'm not alone. I did find a great place today I just don't want to go in there. It has a ton of flora, me sort of large plants coming up out of the water, some pennywort, hydrilla or egeria densa, and a few other unidentified plants. I wasn't going in there to find out what they were lol.

It also had some wood pilings placed along perimeter of the area that had some sort of metal or wood boxes on them, i dont know what they were, they were lining each side of the area and were about 100 feet apart.

Edited by jetajockey, 08 April 2011 - 06:54 PM.

It also had some wood pilings placed along perimeter of the area that had some sort of metal or wood boxes on them, i dont know what they were, they were lining each side of the area and were about 100 feet apart.

Could be bat houses.

I heard a talk by a ranger from the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refugee last year, and she discussed bat houses they've put in that seem similar to what you're describing. (They'd like to do more, but they don't have the funding to have a staff biologist all the time. At a national wildlife refuge. Just thought I'd throw that in, since the federal budget and what they do with the money is topical these days.)

Edited by Doug_Dame, 08 April 2011 - 09:07 PM.

Gators - well except for Momma gators I don't worry about them. I haven't had much luck in swamps anyway - lots of fish but lots of the SAME fish.

Maybe I've been doing it wrong.

Perhaps going out in the middle of the night with a good flashlight will find some species that are otherwise difficult to see. That is my favorite method while working alone, but I guess it would be even scarier for some. I grew up spending most of my waking hours in woods, day and night. I did not usually even own a flashlight when I was young.

Alligators are a special case I did not have to deal with at least while growing up. But they tend to feed at night and are weary of humans, as long as some idiot is not feeding them. So long as you make your presents known they tend to keep a distance. The exceptions are during mating season, when their nest or young is perceived to be in danger, sitting on the bank at dusk where they only discover you during the process of hunting in the shallows and find you in their strike zone, or you walk directly into their strike zone before they have the opportunity to notice you and vacate the area. When they get the jump on you this way their fear is replaced with hunting instincts. They have a brain the size of walnuts and do not do much thinking. Whatever impulse they have about you when they notice you tends to be the impulse they act on, so make sure they know you are around before they find you in their strike zone. During mating season they are far more aggressive, but not really out to kill you. They just want you out of their way. So getting their attention early might make them aggressively defensive during mating season, or avoid you otherwise, but their defensiveness also gives their presents away and are not hard to outrun on land. At least they are not sneaking up on you in their usual ambush hunting mode either during mating season or otherwise if they know you are there before you are found in their strike zone. I would not swim for any significant period of time in the same area either, they eventually grow tired of hiding from what does not appear to know they are there and start investigating. A gator that will actively stalk a human under normal circumstances is quiet rare, and driving is probably about as dangerous if you understand your surroundings. There is more to know if actually attacked.

You can also wear bells and carry pepper spray, so that when you see bells laying around that smell like pepper spray you know there are dangerous gators around.

You can also wear bells and carry pepper spray, so that when you see bells laying around that smell like pepper spray you know there are dangerous gators around.

So true. I was out somewhere last year ... can't recall where ... and saw exactly what you're talking about. But the bells didn't have the NANFA-store logo on them, so I assumed they were from herp-guys or birders, and therefore I wasn't concerned.

There is more to know if actually attacked.

There's an i-phone app for that, we hope. Best to have a 4GL connection.

Edited by Doug_Dame, 09 April 2011 - 02:43 PM.

So true. I was out somewhere last year ... can't recall where ... and saw exactly what you're talking about. But the bells didn't have the NANFA-store logo on them, so I assumed they were from herp-guys or birders, and therefore I wasn't concerned.

Good point, I will make sure my bells have the NANFA logo...

There's an i-phone app for that, we hope. Best to have a 4GL connection.

So if you are dragged under by a gator to drown just make sure you have your cell.. Think maybe 911 can walk me through an underwater gator fight?

A gator that takes you for food is not generally intent on killing you in the attack. Rather they are trying to take you under to drown. They even like stashing larger prey to consume at their leisure. They have a flap in the back of their throat to keep from drowning themselves during such attacks. So if you have any body parts in their mouth that can reach this flap to open it, it is probably the single most effective way to get them to want to escape from you. They do not want to drown any more than you do. Otherwise the best target is their eyes. They are not willing to wait for you to drown while taking such damage themselves. Their usual larger prey generally just wiggles a bit while they hold it under.

Living here in South Louisiana I have gotten used to the Gators. When I lived in ST. Bernard Parish I would take my 14ft Peroge and go fishing in the Swamps and waterways. Had a few close calls. When the shadow is larger than the boat you are in it is time to go, PERIOD. I now live in the Northwestern part of Washington Parish just West of Franklinton. We have a lot of small Creeks, plus the Boguo Chito River in the area. The gators are starting to show back up here. Back in the 60ies one of my Uncles that lived near us started to miss some Cattle. Found where they wear, and what was left of them, plus a couple of nice size Gators. There wear a couple of 12 footers and some smaller ones. Not too long ago I saw a five footer in the Boguo Chita near where it goes into the Pearl River. They are moving back North.
Plus one thing I don’t go in the woods, creeks, or the river without a handgun with me. We are starting to have problems with Hogs. I used to carry my 1911 but now I carry my 44mag. 45acp is alright, but 44mag is better.