A Fisherman''s Dilemma! In the early 1970’s while living in New Orleans, a friend and I decided to fish in an area that we’d never visited or fished in before. This was perhaps 30 or...

Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

In the early 1970’s while living in New Orleans, a friend and I decided to fish in an area that we’d never visited or fished in before. This was perhaps 30 or 40 miles west of the city. It was marked on the map but was not as easily accessed as it appeared. If there had not been a recent oil well to be drilled in the vicinity, we would have had to abandon our quest.

Most of the highway had been elevated and all the surrounding area was swampland. Since the drilling company had opened the road and laid down wood planks to create a stable surface, it was accessible and allowed us to find a place to launch the boat. There was no actual boat launch, but what we found was adequate for a fishing boat like ours.

Now if you’ve never fished in deep and dark bayous and swamps this would be a new experience for anyone, and in many ways quite foreboding. We followed where the barges had pushed the drilling rig on a floating platform until we reached more open water perhaps a mile, or more back into an open bayou. There we found several natural canals or connecting bayous and open areas suitable for fishing. In many places the cypress trees and others were so dense that the sun seldom reached us or the water.

During the morning, we caught a few bass, but few keepers and we released all most we had caught so far. Up in the morning, before noon we found ourselves in a dead end, but it looked like a very fishy place, so we took our time using the trolling motor to explore the area. My partner, casting just beyond a blown-down tree trunk got hung up and could not free his diving lure.

Since we were not in any hurry, I slowly used the trolling motor to take us to where his lure appeared to be hung up. When the bow of the boat was along side where his line appeared to be straight down, we stopped and he began jiggling his line, and then running his rod down and reeling up the slack line hoping to free the lure with his rod tip. Nothing happened.

Suddenly, there was an explosion of the dark water as a huge alligator surfaced and angrily threshed against the bow of the boat. This animal was so large, maybe 10 to 12 ft. long, that it was causing the boat to rock back and forth furiously, so much that my partner almost fell out, and was fortunate to grab ahold of the gunnels and saved himself. This happened so fast it took us both by surprise, and for a moment, we just sat there staring at this huge animal.

I then tried to put the troller in reverse and get back away from the gator, but instead, the prop was striking its side causing it to become more furious and to thresh around even more angry. This rocked the boat so dangerously, that my partner might have fallen out if he had been standing.

Not a good thing when all we wanted to do was get away from it and leave it alone. Not knowing what else to do, my partner opened the Igloo ice chest and took out one of the bass we had kept that morning and threw it at the monster. And I finally gathered enough presence of mind to start the Evinrude and began to reverse our way out and were able to extract us and the boat from the monster’s den.

Now, let me ask you as a reader, would you have rather had the bass we sacrificed to that gator, in order to extract ourselves, or have experienced this story? Since we had no weapon, we could not collect ourselves a pair of cowboy boots either. Just Sayin…RJS

rapala54 Loc: Nappanee,IN.

I would need to change my pants.

E.pa.al Loc: Martin's Creek

thats a tough question for east coasters as we have nothing in our woods or lakes that can or want to kill us (cept a rattler or copperhead)
A .22 revolver might have been handy tho RJS

Big dog Loc: Bayshore, Long Island, New York

rapala54 wrote:

I would need to change my pants.

👍👍👍👍

Flytier Loc: Wilmington Delaware

Robert J Samples wrote:

In the early 1970’s while living in New Orleans, a friend and I decided to fish in an area that we’d never visited or fished in before. This was perhaps 30 or 40 miles west of the city. It was marked on the map but was not as easily accessed as it appeared. If there had not been a recent oil well to be drilled in the vicinity, we would have had to abandon our quest.

Most of the highway had been elevated and all the surrounding area was swampland. Since the drilling company had opened the road and laid down wood planks to create a stable surface, it was accessible and allowed us to find a place to launch the boat. There was no actual boat launch, but what we found was adequate for a fishing boat like ours.

Now if you’ve never fished in deep and dark bayous and swamps this would be a new experience for anyone, and in many ways quite foreboding. We followed where the barges had pushed the drilling rig on a floating platform until we reached more open water perhaps a mile, or more back into an open bayou. There we found several natural canals or connecting bayous and open areas suitable for fishing. In many places the cypress trees and others were so dense that the sun seldom reached us or the water.

During the morning, we caught a few bass, but few keepers and we released all most we had caught so far. Up in the morning, before noon we found ourselves in a dead end, but it looked like a very fishy place, so we took our time using the trolling motor to explore the area. My partner, casting just beyond a blown-down tree trunk got hung up and could not free his diving lure.

Since we were not in any hurry, I slowly used the trolling motor to take us to where his lure appeared to be hung up. When the bow of the boat was along side where his line appeared to be straight down, we stopped and he began jiggling his line, and then running his rod down and reeling up the slack line hoping to free the lure with his rod tip. Nothing happened.

Suddenly, there was an explosion of the dark water as a huge alligator surfaced and angrily threshed against the bow of the boat. This animal was so large, maybe 10 to 12 ft. long, that it was causing the boat to rock back and forth furiously, so much that my partner almost fell out, and was fortunate to grab ahold of the gunnels and saved himself. This happened so fast it took us both by surprise, and for a moment, we just sat there staring at this huge animal.

I then tried to put the troller in reverse and get back away from the gator, but instead, the prop was striking its side causing it to become more furious and to thresh around even more angry. This rocked the boat so dangerously, that my partner might have fallen out if he had been standing.

Not a good thing when all we wanted to do was get away from it and leave it alone. Not knowing what else to do, my partner opened the Igloo ice chest and took out one of the bass we had kept that morning and threw it at the monster. And I finally gathered enough presence of mind to start the Evinrude and began to reverse our way out and were able to extract us and the boat from the monster’s den.

Now, let me ask you as a reader, would you have rather had the bass we sacrificed to that gator, in order to extract ourselves, or have experienced this story? Since we had no weapon, we could not collect ourselves a pair of cowboy boots either. Just Sayin…RJS

In the early 1970’s while living in New Orleans, a... (show quote)

Think I'd pass on this one Robert. I like my gaors to be socially isolated at the closest.

Whitey Loc: Southeast ohio

Robert J Samples wrote:

In the early 1970’s while living in New Orleans, a friend and I decided to fish in an area that we’d never visited or fished in before. This was perhaps 30 or 40 miles west of the city. It was marked on the map but was not as easily accessed as it appeared. If there had not been a recent oil well to be drilled in the vicinity, we would have had to abandon our quest.

Most of the highway had been elevated and all the surrounding area was swampland. Since the drilling company had opened the road and laid down wood planks to create a stable surface, it was accessible and allowed us to find a place to launch the boat. There was no actual boat launch, but what we found was adequate for a fishing boat like ours.

Now if you’ve never fished in deep and dark bayous and swamps this would be a new experience for anyone, and in many ways quite foreboding. We followed where the barges had pushed the drilling rig on a floating platform until we reached more open water perhaps a mile, or more back into an open bayou. There we found several natural canals or connecting bayous and open areas suitable for fishing. In many places the cypress trees and others were so dense that the sun seldom reached us or the water.

During the morning, we caught a few bass, but few keepers and we released all most we had caught so far. Up in the morning, before noon we found ourselves in a dead end, but it looked like a very fishy place, so we took our time using the trolling motor to explore the area. My partner, casting just beyond a blown-down tree trunk got hung up and could not free his diving lure.

Since we were not in any hurry, I slowly used the trolling motor to take us to where his lure appeared to be hung up. When the bow of the boat was along side where his line appeared to be straight down, we stopped and he began jiggling his line, and then running his rod down and reeling up the slack line hoping to free the lure with his rod tip. Nothing happened.

Suddenly, there was an explosion of the dark water as a huge alligator surfaced and angrily threshed against the bow of the boat. This animal was so large, maybe 10 to 12 ft. long, that it was causing the boat to rock back and forth furiously, so much that my partner almost fell out, and was fortunate to grab ahold of the gunnels and saved himself. This happened so fast it took us both by surprise, and for a moment, we just sat there staring at this huge animal.

I then tried to put the troller in reverse and get back away from the gator, but instead, the prop was striking its side causing it to become more furious and to thresh around even more angry. This rocked the boat so dangerously, that my partner might have fallen out if he had been standing.

Not a good thing when all we wanted to do was get away from it and leave it alone. Not knowing what else to do, my partner opened the Igloo ice chest and took out one of the bass we had kept that morning and threw it at the monster. And I finally gathered enough presence of mind to start the Evinrude and began to reverse our way out and were able to extract us and the boat from the monster’s den.

Now, let me ask you as a reader, would you have rather had the bass we sacrificed to that gator, in order to extract ourselves, or have experienced this story? Since we had no weapon, we could not collect ourselves a pair of cowboy boots either. Just Sayin…RJS

In the early 1970’s while living in New Orleans, a... (show quote)

Sounds like an experience Robert. I'm sure most of us back then would have been doing the same thing you guys were doing and probably just as scared as you was 😁

Old75 Loc: Broken Arrow, OK

Later, I would have been thankful that I hadn't been standing and taking a leak! Nice move on sacrificing a keeper. Good example for not releasing all caught.

Able Man Loc: North Coast (Cleveland, Ohio)

Well, Sir; after just a BIT of consideration, I think I'd rather have gone on to the hill y cooked that bass (without ever having SEEN the gator); BUT... I'd say that "a good judgement call" was made, THAT day!

hacksaw Loc: Pasadena, Texas

Robert J Samples wrote:

In the early 1970’s while living in New Orleans, a friend and I decided to fish in an area that we’d never visited or fished in before. This was perhaps 30 or 40 miles west of the city. It was marked on the map but was not as easily accessed as it appeared. If there had not been a recent oil well to be drilled in the vicinity, we would have had to abandon our quest.

Most of the highway had been elevated and all the surrounding area was swampland. Since the drilling company had opened the road and laid down wood planks to create a stable surface, it was accessible and allowed us to find a place to launch the boat. There was no actual boat launch, but what we found was adequate for a fishing boat like ours.

Now if you’ve never fished in deep and dark bayous and swamps this would be a new experience for anyone, and in many ways quite foreboding. We followed where the barges had pushed the drilling rig on a floating platform until we reached more open water perhaps a mile, or more back into an open bayou. There we found several natural canals or connecting bayous and open areas suitable for fishing. In many places the cypress trees and others were so dense that the sun seldom reached us or the water.

During the morning, we caught a few bass, but few keepers and we released all most we had caught so far. Up in the morning, before noon we found ourselves in a dead end, but it looked like a very fishy place, so we took our time using the trolling motor to explore the area. My partner, casting just beyond a blown-down tree trunk got hung up and could not free his diving lure.

Since we were not in any hurry, I slowly used the trolling motor to take us to where his lure appeared to be hung up. When the bow of the boat was along side where his line appeared to be straight down, we stopped and he began jiggling his line, and then running his rod down and reeling up the slack line hoping to free the lure with his rod tip. Nothing happened.

Suddenly, there was an explosion of the dark water as a huge alligator surfaced and angrily threshed against the bow of the boat. This animal was so large, maybe 10 to 12 ft. long, that it was causing the boat to rock back and forth furiously, so much that my partner almost fell out, and was fortunate to grab ahold of the gunnels and saved himself. This happened so fast it took us both by surprise, and for a moment, we just sat there staring at this huge animal.

I then tried to put the troller in reverse and get back away from the gator, but instead, the prop was striking its side causing it to become more furious and to thresh around even more angry. This rocked the boat so dangerously, that my partner might have fallen out if he had been standing.

Not a good thing when all we wanted to do was get away from it and leave it alone. Not knowing what else to do, my partner opened the Igloo ice chest and took out one of the bass we had kept that morning and threw it at the monster. And I finally gathered enough presence of mind to start the Evinrude and began to reverse our way out and were able to extract us and the boat from the monster’s den.

Now, let me ask you as a reader, would you have rather had the bass we sacrificed to that gator, in order to extract ourselves, or have experienced this story? Since we had no weapon, we could not collect ourselves a pair of cowboy boots either. Just Sayin…RJS

In the early 1970’s while living in New Orleans, a... (show quote)

Was it in season Robert? I’d a had a .22 magnum hollow point with me and shot it between its eyes. Season or no season, but that’s just me.
Hack 🇺🇸🍺🍺

Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

Hacksaw: Well, you are going to make me completely disassemble my storytelling process. All in this story was true except the gator being alive and attacking us. It was my father in law and i exploring a new area to fish, and the dead end bayou held a dead alligator that had been killed and was floating and bloated there. Since there have been a regular season of Louisiana gator hunters on T.V. every season, I simply wove these two stories together and had our boat attacked. Made it much more exciting, right? Just Sayin....RJS

hacksaw Loc: Pasadena, Texas

Robert J Samples wrote:

Hacksaw: Well, you are going to make me completel... (show quote)

You rascal! I figured anywhere near New Orleans there would be gators🐊. It was more interesting than running up on a bloated dead gator. You sure don’t want to shoot one of them and unbloat it. Talk about stink.
Hack 🇺🇸🍺🍺

rapala54 Loc: Nappanee,IN.

That story is as good as what's that got do with fishing. LMAF You sometimes a bobber go down and you know. Just another friend .

Huntm22 Loc: Northern Utah. - West Haven

Got me with that one - very believable.

Big dog Loc: Bayshore, Long Island, New York

Robert J Samples wrote:

Hacksaw: Well, you are going to make me completel... (show quote)

Ah Ha, !!!!!!

Kerry Hansen Loc: Bremerton, WA

Robert J Samples wrote:

In the early 1970’s while living in New Orleans, a friend and I decided to fish in an area that we’d never visited or fished in before. This was perhaps 30 or 40 miles west of the city. It was marked on the map but was not as easily accessed as it appeared. If there had not been a recent oil well to be drilled in the vicinity, we would have had to abandon our quest.

Most of the highway had been elevated and all the surrounding area was swampland. Since the drilling company had opened the road and laid down wood planks to create a stable surface, it was accessible and allowed us to find a place to launch the boat. There was no actual boat launch, but what we found was adequate for a fishing boat like ours.

Now if you’ve never fished in deep and dark bayous and swamps this would be a new experience for anyone, and in many ways quite foreboding. We followed where the barges had pushed the drilling rig on a floating platform until we reached more open water perhaps a mile, or more back into an open bayou. There we found several natural canals or connecting bayous and open areas suitable for fishing. In many places the cypress trees and others were so dense that the sun seldom reached us or the water.

During the morning, we caught a few bass, but few keepers and we released all most we had caught so far. Up in the morning, before noon we found ourselves in a dead end, but it looked like a very fishy place, so we took our time using the trolling motor to explore the area. My partner, casting just beyond a blown-down tree trunk got hung up and could not free his diving lure.

Since we were not in any hurry, I slowly used the trolling motor to take us to where his lure appeared to be hung up. When the bow of the boat was along side where his line appeared to be straight down, we stopped and he began jiggling his line, and then running his rod down and reeling up the slack line hoping to free the lure with his rod tip. Nothing happened.

Suddenly, there was an explosion of the dark water as a huge alligator surfaced and angrily threshed against the bow of the boat. This animal was so large, maybe 10 to 12 ft. long, that it was causing the boat to rock back and forth furiously, so much that my partner almost fell out, and was fortunate to grab ahold of the gunnels and saved himself. This happened so fast it took us both by surprise, and for a moment, we just sat there staring at this huge animal.

I then tried to put the troller in reverse and get back away from the gator, but instead, the prop was striking its side causing it to become more furious and to thresh around even more angry. This rocked the boat so dangerously, that my partner might have fallen out if he had been standing.

Not a good thing when all we wanted to do was get away from it and leave it alone. Not knowing what else to do, my partner opened the Igloo ice chest and took out one of the bass we had kept that morning and threw it at the monster. And I finally gathered enough presence of mind to start the Evinrude and began to reverse our way out and were able to extract us and the boat from the monster’s den.

Now, let me ask you as a reader, would you have rather had the bass we sacrificed to that gator, in order to extract ourselves, or have experienced this story? Since we had no weapon, we could not collect ourselves a pair of cowboy boots either. Just Sayin…RJS

In the early 1970’s while living in New Orleans, a... (show quote)

Did you have to clean the CRAP off the boat seats?