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Do gators come at kayakers?

3K views 34 replies 20 participants last post by  wademaster 
#1 ·
Firstly, I fully understand gators need their space to not feel threatened, but hear me out. You're in a creek with anomalously high numbers of bait, and ahead of you is a 7 foot long gator sunning on a mud bank at low tide. The creek bends, and is wide enough for you to pass by at 20-25 feet and potentially leave mr scaly sunning and unthreatened. Does that give reptar enough space, or is turning back the only practical option? In my recent experience, the gator slid into the water when we got about 100 feet away... a gator you can't see is like a spider you can't see and I split. I've also got a tarpon that sits down kinda close to the water and would feel more comfortable sitting higher up on a Larry chair - is this rational and/or safer or just something that would make me feel comfortable and more aware of my surroundings? Feel free to share opinions, but personal experiences and articles would be even better. Thanks y'all!


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#2 ·
I'm not a biology expert, but I used to watch a lot of Discovery Channel, and lived in Florida for a while. Almost positive the gator sees you as a threat, not a prey item. I understand your trepidation, but I don't think you really have anything to be worried about, just give them space and don't drag a stringer of fish in the water where you know alligators are present. May want to give them a bit of extra room and avoid splashing in the water during "the breeding season, which, in North Carolina, occurs in May and June. Females lay between 30 and 45 eggs and will actively guard the nest until eggs hatch approximately 60 days later. They become more active as temperatures warm in early spring and will remain active, relatively speaking, through the early fall."

http://www.ncwildlife.org/News/wildlife-commission-provides-alligator-tips-and-regulations-1
 
#4 ·
I wouldn't worry too much about it and certainly wouldn't let it deter me from a spot. I would of course be aware of my surroundings just in case. I have never had any scary moments but have had gators around me and in very close proximity while in the yak. I did have one about 2 feet long eat a spook once while in the boat. He got really mad when I pulled him in the boat to remove the hook. He wanted it so bad, I wound up giving the spook to him. He probably recognized it as the spook that had caught hundreds of trout and wanted it for himself.

Here's a video from Scott Martin in the Everglades kayaking with gators. https://youtu.be/gTIbqE6FKc0
 
#6 ·
I wouldn't worry too much about it and certainly wouldn't let it deter me from a spot. I would of course be aware of my surroundings just in case. I have never had any scary moments but have had gators around me and in very close proximity while in the yak. I did have one about 2 feet long eat a spook once while in the boat. He got really mad when I pulled him in the boat to remove the hook. He wanted it so bad, I wound up giving the spook to him. He probably recognized it as the spook that had caught hundreds of trout and wanted it for himself.

Here's a video from Scott Martin in the Everglades kayaking with gators. https://youtu.be/gTIbqE6FKc0
I swear those spooks will catch just about anything! Trout, reds, bass, bonita, gators, seagulls, and I'm sure the list goes on.
 
#8 ·
I was wondering the same thing last Sat paddling up the White Oak in what looked like Gatorsville. I was thinking whether I should start carrying a .38 in a shoulder holster & started humming the old Jerry Reed song "Amos Moses."

Trigger: I was fishing down in LA a few years back with my buddy Butch & he hooked about a 3' Gator on a Spook. He pulled it back to the boat, grabbed that gator behind the head & got his Spook back. Don't mess with Butch!
 
#17 ·
Rumor has it that during mating season they are particularly aggressive towards green or brown kayaks, the same general color as other gators.

I say rumor, because I will do my best to not be in any stretch of water that has alligators in it.

Sharks are one thing... But alligators have evolved specifically to eat mammals on the shore.
 
#19 ·
I grew up in South West Florida. Never had an issue. Since I started Kayaking I've run into them a few times. Most of the time they stay on the bank or slip into the water and pop up a good distance away from me. I did how ever have a 7ft gator I felt was more aggressive. She got closer than any had before on my way up the creek. Then on my way back she met me head on for a stare off. We sat there until I turned broadside to get to the other bank to give a wide berth. She submerged and that was all. Not much to the encounter but she did give the go away or else vibe.
 
#21 ·
I've encountered them quite a bit when fishing Santee Cooper in SC. My experience mirrors what has been said in that they seemed extremely wary of boats to the point of acting afraid. Admittedly I was in a bass boat not a kayak but they wouldn't let you get within 20 yards of them. I recall one afternoon my friend and I spotted a large gator in the back of a pocket. I wanted some photos so we trolled in closer. There wasn't really any room to swim around us so I though I had it trapped enough to get some decent photos but it actually swam under our boat in about 2-3 FOW to get away. (I wouldn't have tried that move in a kayak)
 
#22 ·
The one and only thing that made me turn around when jacob and I ran into one was not just that the creek was only 25 ft wide, but that it was only about a foot deep. Way to shallow to pass by the gator without spooking in and possibly making it feel cornered

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#27 ·
Last year (late spring/early summer) a small-ish gator swam between my wife and I while we were in a local creek. We were probably less than 30 yards apart, too far to whisper but no need to yell. The lizard didn't seem to mind our presence, I floated by peacefully, and the wife never even noticed. I can't say what other gators might do, but they usually try to vanish before being spotted.
 
#28 ·
Stopped at a flat on the New River and saw a gator about 100' away. Within 30 seconds he went under the 4' deep water and swam directly to and under our boat and layed on the bottom and stared up at us. He was not afraid and laid there on the bottom in 3-4' of water directly under the boat and stared at us. After a minute or two he swan off. I would have been terrified had I been in a yak.
 
#31 ·
I had a similar encounter a few months ago on NR. He was about 100 yds away and went under. Popped up about 8' from my boat and stayed there for probably 30 minutes while I fished. I wouldn't have been comfortable on a yak. I'd grab a saturday night special and have it on me just in case....
 
#30 ·
Alligators are the most docile of the crocodile family, not nearly so dangerous as Nile crocodiles and saltwater crocs. But they are unpredictable, and best left to their own devices. In a kayak I would say you're probably safe, but people swimming or walking near the water's edge can be at risk. They are dangerous animals, and as such, should be respected and given a wide berth.
 
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