Boatless Fishing Forum, Reports, Info

I was telling my 3 year old about how we're going to fish when we move from Chicago down to Tampa next week and he asked me if the alligators would eat him. I told him no way but.... Will they? I was thinking not, but it would be REALLY stupid to assume that and be wrong.

jvan wrote:I was telling my 3 year old about how we're going to fish when we move from Chicago down to Tampa next week and he asked me if the alligators would eat him. I told him no way but.... Will they? I was thinking not, but it would be REALLY stupid to assume that and be wrong.

yess there is a very good chance that while your down here your going to be eaten by one of those pesky fish stealing alligators

but i kno this is sad to hear that your more then likely going to be eaten so just stick close to large groups of people an constantly yell very loudly gators hate anoyning loud tourists

Should I also throw large boulders into the water at regular intervals?........I guess maybe it is a stupid question, the house we're moving into has a pond behind it with a resident gator, 4 to 5 foot I think. I was just wondering if a gator would pose any threat to a 3 year old fishing.

Depending on the size an alligator could easily eat a 3 year old.

I would sure as hell be careful letting a 3 year old play on the bank of a pond with a resident gator.

I would definitely throw boulders in, along with any other handfuls of gravel and debris at regular intervals while fishing near or around gators.

if you want to scare the gators off start doing the FSU war chant

whoaaaa ohhh ohhhh ohhh, whoaaaa ohh ohhhh ohhhHhh!

rob762 wrote:You want to be careful with very small kids close to the bank. A gator can snatch them in a heart beat. Not a likely case, but could happen. When I was 10 yrs old, I was feeding the ducks at the canal bank in my back yard and a gator snatched one right at my fingertips. Scared the daylights out of me.

instead of throwing rocks in the water you should wade in neck deep water an thrash around very violently
now while thrash if you should be approached while in the water dont be afraid stand your ground show the gator your not afraid

gruntking wrote:now while thrash if you should be approached while in the water dont be afraid stand your ground show the gator your not afraid

This.

rob762 wrote:Funny part was, my parents didn't believe me as gators were rare then. 1973 on Biscayne canal. They didn't believe until the 12' gator was sunning itself in our yard 2 days later....

rob762 wrote:Lets just say I keep a wary eye on all lake/canal banks when I'm walking along them.

Same here. If it's not alligators, it's water moccasins.

it will only take one time one mistake one wrong time one wrong place for having a regret of a lifetime
if i were you i would not even move to a house near a pond having a gator in
but again that is my thinking
or make sure you get rid of this beast
it will only grow more

jvan wrote:Should I also throw large boulders into the water at regular intervals?........I guess maybe it is a stupid question, the house we're moving into has a pond behind it with a resident gator, 4 to 5 foot I think. I was just wondering if a gator would pose any threat to a 3 year old fishing.

it could be a threat to a small child. remember this..... they can harm a person just by a bite alone. the bacteria in the mouth can infect the wound of a person and cause serious problems. if that happens obviously go to the hospital for treatment.

and another thing too. you could call the Florida Wildlife Game Officers and tell them you have an alligator in the pond and would like for it to be removed from the area so it doesnt harm anyone in the community. i dont know how they would respond to that and might ask you is the gator a nuisance. if so they will likely come by and take it out but poor for the little alligator it would be put down.

TOMMY wrote:it will only take one time one mistake one wrong time one wrong place for having a regret of a lifetime
if i were you i would not even move to a house near a pond having a gator in
but again that is my thinking
or make sure you get rid of this beast
it will only grow more

It is just about impossible to avoid living near gators in FL...they can be in any body of water, and most neighborhoods have ponds, lakes and canals in them.

Anybody watch 'Gator Boys' on animal planet? The episodes are filmed at Holiday Park, along with other areas of broward county. If you haven't seen it, check it out. It's a great a show.

Actually, according to the(N.R.W.F.J.A.P.S.A.I.D.T.I.) National Right Wing Association of Tampa Florida Judicial Alligator Prevention Speacilization Agricultural Information Department Technical Institute, it is now MANDATORY to pet wild Alligators AS SOON as you come within 50yards of them no matter the Size and Girth. Avoiding them will only result in a 30 minute land pursuit and can become Fatal. Keep ALL children near the waters edge at ALL TIMES and only check on them every 24hrs. Alligators are as Harmless as Crystal Meth, we must learn as Humans to violate the terrritory 1st chance given.

fixed80 wrote:

jvan wrote:Should I also throw large boulders into the water at regular intervals?........I guess maybe it is a stupid question, the house we're moving into has a pond behind it with a resident gator, 4 to 5 foot I think. I was just wondering if a gator would pose any threat to a 3 year old fishing.

it could be a threat to a small child. remember this..... they can harm a person just by a bite alone. the bacteria in the mouth can infect the wound of a person and cause serious problems. if that happens obviously go to the hospital for treatment.

and another thing too. you could call the Florida Wildlife Game Officers and tell them you have an alligator in the pond and would like for it to be removed from the area so it doesnt harm anyone in the community. i dont know how they would respond to that and might ask you is the gator a nuisance. if so they will likely come by and take it out but poor for the little alligator it would be put down.

A "community meeting" decided the gator was not threatening, I don't intend to leave either one of my little ones unattended anywhere and it sounds so far like no gator will sneak up and snatch my kid from right beside me. Thanks for all the input everyone. Oh, and I realized that I posted this under the freshwater pics section mistakenly, sorry.

Usually FWC or a trapper will not remove unless they have shown a sign of aggression or being used to people anyways. At a house I used to live in West Palm, there were several good sized 7 ft + gators in a lake and canal in the neighborhood, and no one messed with them.

PhishingPhanatic wrote:Usually FWC or a trapper will not remove unless they have shown a sign of aggression or being used to people anyways. At a house I used to live in West Palm, there were several good sized 7 ft + gators in a lake and canal in the neighborhood, and no one messed with them.

I thought once they reach a certain length, you can have them remove... 4-5ft...

I know a lot of stupid people feed the gator and this causes a lot of problem.

generally, I've found if you leave them alone, they leave you alone...now...for a tasty morsel like a toddler...I dont know...You have to look at it from a predators eyes...not our mind/eyes. If your a apex predator, and you see something small, within reach, would you go for it? Keep that in mind.

I dont trust gators, I respect them, they CAN kill you.

Resident pond gators are the worst, 3' to 4' its not likely to bother people but its also likely someone is tossing it something to eat once in a while, so its not likely afraid of people and will be curious when anyone comes near the shoreline.

I'd certainly not let a 3 year old play along waters edge alone in any case, and certainly don't walk a small dog along the waters edge, gators love dogs.

If it's perceved as a threat you simply call someone like Gator boy's. They remove and relocate them. A perceved threat can be as simple as seeing them in your back yard or having one hang around your shore line. If you have children or animal's, they're at risk.
Jvan, do your research and make sure where your fishing is safe. As said, a little common sense goes a long way. By the way, Welcome to Florida!