# Bulls, Slots, Big Trout, and a Big Bonus Surprise!



## Jeffbro999#2 (Feb 17, 2014)

It's been an interesting month of Feb. this year. With the warmer weather, the bite has taken off and everything has been feeding in the shallows. 

I love throwing a chatterbait for redfish in dirty water and wind, and with the recent rains we all know the water gets dirty quickly. In these conditions, the fish key in more on movement and vibration, so the chatterbait is a great choice. Most redfish have been super shallow and relating to grass, and are hammering that lure on a fast retrieve. 

The trout bite is still going strong, although I haven't been targeting them as much. Even though the water is warming, they still seem to be in their winter areas feeding on mullet and are super fat. Lots of slot size fish with some monsters mixed in. 

Yesterday was really crazy though. After catching reds and bass all day, my buddy Aaren and I decided to head back, but had to make a few more casts anyways. I made a cast and thought I was hung up, so I pedaled over to it to get my lure back, and as I got close it started running out into the river! I had no idea what it could be, but joked that maybe I had an alligator. Unfortunately I was correct, and it was a big one with my chatterbait hooked in its mouth! Being in a kayak, when that head emerged from the muddy water for the first time, I was a little scared (Especially since it kept trying to hide under the kayak). Dealt with many on Seminole out of a boat, but nothing this size. Played around with it for a while, and was shocked that I was able to lift it off bottom several times with my rod, an 843(7' MH), 20lb braid and 15lb fluoro leader. It was a great fight and got some good pictures and video of it. Cool experience for sure! Here's some pics:


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## Jeffbro999#2 (Feb 17, 2014)

Big guy from yesterday, wish I could post some video.


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## lees way2 (Oct 7, 2007)

Great looking fish,but ya need to hold the last ones mouth closed before ya get your lure back. Just a thought.


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## Jeffbro999#2 (Feb 17, 2014)

lees way2 said:


> Great looking fish,but ya need to hold the last ones mouth closed before ya get your lure back. Just a thought.


Told my buddy to grab it so we could get some pics and remove the lure, but he wasn't having any of that!


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## ChrisP14 (Jun 17, 2009)

Not exactly a PB I'd be wanting to set in the yak....


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

Hahaha awesome time with some great fish and special toothy critter!!!


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## NKlamerus (Jan 4, 2016)

Nice! Loved seeing the updates from you and aaren on Instagram lol


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

Haha, that's so awesome man. I've caught one before, but I did it on purpose. It wasn't near as large as yours though! I pitched a piece of cut bait at it to lure it towards me & then jumped in the water Steve Irwin style so that I could grab it for a quick photo. I think the photo would have been a lot cooler if I had been holding one the size of the one that ate your chatterbait.


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## taleoftails (Feb 17, 2015)

I thing you are going to need a bigger boat! That would make some good Gator nuggets thou.


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## CalvinandHobbes (Jan 25, 2014)

Alright you are officially the coolest!!!! haha thats a hell of a story


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## SurfRidr (Apr 24, 2012)

Beautiful fish, Jeff! Way to go!

Managed to find a slot red or two on a recent trip near home, was about to give up on the area but was seeing lots of mullet and I caught a boil out of the corner of my eye that looked suspicious... tossed a Jackall Bonnie in there and he hit it pretty solid. Fish seemed sluggish, and although I could have put him on the table I took a few minutes to revive him and watched him swim off. Was up shallow relating to grass as well.


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## timjb83 (Jan 23, 2013)

The gator whisperer strikes again 

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk


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## Desert Eagle (Apr 25, 2012)

JB - have you tried Whopper Ploppers for Reds (and gators)???


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## Dreamcatcher21 (Apr 27, 2016)

I had a buddy use to mess with them gators in some gravel pit ponds when he was fishing. Then one about 3 1/2 ft ripped that arm for him. 50 stiches for his trouble and some bacterial shots. he wasn't laughing any more. Yall be careful out there, you wouldn't think it but they're quick as a rattlesnake.


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## Desert Eagle (Apr 25, 2012)

AND, it's against the law to molest gators.


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## Jeffbro999#2 (Feb 17, 2014)

Jason said:


> Hahaha awesome time with some great fish and special toothy critter!!!


It's been fun, but I'll take a pass on the toothy critters now on!


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## Jeffbro999#2 (Feb 17, 2014)

ThaFish said:


> Haha, that's so awesome man. I've caught one before, but I did it on purpose. It wasn't near as large as yours though! I pitched a piece of cut bait at it to lure it towards me & then jumped in the water Steve Irwin style so that I could grab it for a quick photo. I think the photo would have been a lot cooler if I had been holding one the size of the one that ate your chatterbait.


Hahaha, great pic man. You definitely went for that one! We've had to deal with them that size on Seminole a lot, they love a frog, but doubt I'd ever put my hands on one this size. If you remember that area we waded on the river, I wouldn't wade it anymore! :whistling:


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## Jeffbro999#2 (Feb 17, 2014)

taleoftails said:


> I thing you are going to need a bigger boat! That would make some good Gator nuggets thou.


Yeah that's what got me a little nervous, kayak doesn't give you much protection! They are delicious though.


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## Jeffbro999#2 (Feb 17, 2014)

CalvinandHobbes said:


> Alright you are officially the coolest!!!! haha thats a hell of a story


Had to find out what was on the end of that line! Hahaha The things we will do to try to get our lures back!


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## Jeffbro999#2 (Feb 17, 2014)

SurfRidr said:


> Beautiful fish, Jeff! Way to go!
> 
> Managed to find a slot red or two on a recent trip near home, was about to give up on the area but was seeing lots of mullet and I caught a boil out of the corner of my eye that looked suspicious... tossed a Jackall Bonnie in there and he hit it pretty solid. Fish seemed sluggish, and although I could have put him on the table I took a few minutes to revive him and watched him swim off. Was up shallow relating to grass as well.


Nice redfish Sam! It's weird how sometimes that one mullet jump out of a thousand gets your attention! Glad you were able to get a Bonnie and it's working for you!


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## Jeffbro999#2 (Feb 17, 2014)

timjb83 said:


> The gator whisperer strikes again
> 
> Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk


This one had me yelling a little bit! Always expecting the unexpected now.


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## Jeffbro999#2 (Feb 17, 2014)

Desert Eagle said:


> JB - have you tried Whopper Ploppers for Reds (and gators)???


Redfish will hit it on occasion, but I haven't thrown it for trout. They seem more likely to run away from it. Bonnie is crushing them, so I stick with it. There's a smaller version coming out soon that might work better for trout and slot reds.


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## Fishing Grandpa (Jul 2, 2017)

Desert Eagle said:


> AND, it's against the law to molest gators.


 Aw man, that is just weird. Dangerous too!


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## Desert Eagle (Apr 25, 2012)

Fishing Grandpa said:


> Aw man, that is just weird. Dangerous too!


I know that we all know (or should know) that messin' w/ gators is not allowed in Florida. But some of us learn this the hard way. When I first moved here on 2005, I thought it kinda neat to have gators in my back yard. Then one day, these 2 guys were attempting to catch a 7 footer with a top water lure - which is extremely possible - from the bank. LEO was watching from from a few hundred yards away and both guys got their slips of paper to appear.

Never know who's reading the PFF.

Just saying...


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## barefoot (Nov 3, 2011)

Well, you bested my biggest gator, got me by a couple feet.
I can at least claim I've foul hooked one bigger than Tha Fish however.

Good looking reds, Jeff.
Fat trout also.


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

Jeffbro999 said:


> Hahaha, great pic man. You definitely went for that one! We've had to deal with them that size on Seminole a lot, they love a frog, but doubt I'd ever put my hands on one this size. If you remember that area we waded on the river, I wouldn't wade it anymore! :whistling:


He was a pain to handle! Way stronger than you'd think for only being two & 
a half feet long. Took a couple minutes to position him for the damn photo!

Hahaha, man, I honestly kind of figured that that's where you hooked it at! A couple months ago, my buddy & I were out on his skiff in that area & watched as a 7ish foot long one swam right across one of those flats.


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## Jeffbro999#2 (Feb 17, 2014)

barefoot said:


> Well, you bested my biggest gator, got me by a couple feet.
> I can at least claim I've foul hooked one bigger than Tha Fish however.
> 
> Good looking reds, Jeff.
> Fat trout also.


We gotta get away from these things! Hahaha It definitely made me nervous!

Thanks Bruce, the trout keep getting bigger and bigger as the water warms. Definitely still in those winter areas though, and with this weather I see why!


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## Jeffbro999#2 (Feb 17, 2014)

ThaFish said:


> He was a pain to handle! Way stronger than you'd think for only being two &
> a half feet long. Took a couple minutes to position him for the damn photo!
> 
> Hahaha, man, I honestly kind of figured that that's where you hooked it at! A couple months ago, my buddy & I were out on his skiff in that area & watched as a 7ish foot long one swam right across one of those flats.


Hahaha I bet! They seem to move in every direction possible as you are trying to get a grip! After seeing one that big, it makes you wonder what we were thinking! Tailing Redfish!!! :laughing:

That's a really cool picture though, thanks for sharing it man!


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## Jeffbro999#2 (Feb 17, 2014)

Desert Eagle said:


> I know that we all know (or should know) that messin' w/ gators is not allowed in Florida. But some of us learn this the hard way. When I first moved here on 2005, I thought it kinda neat to have gators in my back yard. Then one day, these 2 guys were attempting to catch a 7 footer with a top water lure - which is extremely possible - from the bank. LEO was watching from from a few hundred yards away and both guys got their slips of paper to appear.
> 
> Never know who's reading the PFF.
> 
> Just saying...


Hey DE, do you know what the regulation is on this? Looked it up years ago when we started fishing Seminole since it was a common occurrence with the smaller ones, but never found anything. Looked again this past week and still haven't found anything. Could be in 2005, that they were still classified as endangered species, so I could see a ticket being given out then. If you could post up a link I'd love to read it. Thanks!

Regardless, I will pull on anything that eats my lure until I see what it is, then try to get my lure back or break it off(as in this case).


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## K-Bill (May 14, 2009)

Jeffbro999 said:


> Hey DE, do you know what the regulation is on this? Looked it up years ago when we started fishing Seminole since it was a common occurrence with the smaller ones, but never found anything. Looked again this past week and still haven't found anything. Could be in 2005, that they were still classified as endangered species, so I could see a ticket being given out then. If you could post up a link I'd love to read it. Thanks!
> 
> Regardless, I will pull on anything that eats my lure until I see what it is, then try to get my lure back or break it off(as in this case).


I'm not sure DE's comment was directed at you bud. I just saw it recently and looked for it - there's a "living with alligators" brochure on the fwc site and it does confirm state law prohibits killing, harassing or possessing gators. it's in the regs too - figures I can't find it when I'm actually looking for it. again, not directing that at you for trying to see what your lure was hung on. freakin crazy btw. I'd have thrown the whole rod and reel at him and peddled off with a quickness.

Not trying to be rude, but I would remove, from this thread or the internet in general, any pics of myself holding a gator...

edit: think I found it.

*379.409 Illegal killing, possessing, or capturing of alligators or other crocodilia or eggs; confiscation of equipment.--​*(1)​It is unlawful to intentionally kill, injure, possess, or capture, or attempt to kill, injure, possess, or capture, an alligator or other crocodilian, or the eggs of an alligator or other crocodilian, unless authorized by the rules of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Any person who violates this section is guilty of a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084, in addition to such other punishment as may be provided by law. Any equipment, including but not limited to weapons, vehicles, boats, and lines, used by a person in the commission of a violation of any law, rule, regulation, or order relating to alligators or other crocodilia or the eggs of alligators or other crocodilia shall, upon conviction of such person, be confiscated by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and disposed of according to rules and regulations of the commission. The arresting officer shall promptly make a return of the seizure, describing in detail the property seized and the facts and circumstances under which it was seized, including the names of all persons known to the officer who have an interest in the property.


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## Desert Eagle (Apr 25, 2012)

There you are... I live on the water. This kinda puts me close to some LEOs patrolling the waters. I ask lotsa questions 'cause there are MANY laws that I wasn't familiar with when I first moved here.


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## Jeffbro999#2 (Feb 17, 2014)

K-Bill said:


> I'm not sure DE's comment was directed at you bud. I just saw it recently and looked for it - there's a "living with alligators" brochure on the fwc site and it does confirm state law prohibits killing, harassing or possessing gators. it's in the regs too - figures I can't find it when I'm actually looking for it. again, not directing that at you for trying to see what your lure was hung on. freakin crazy btw. I'd have thrown the whole rod and reel at him and peddled off with a quickness.
> 
> Not trying to be rude, but I would remove, from this thread or the internet in general, any pics of myself holding a gator...
> 
> ...


Hahaha yeah it was a shocker, and hopefully it doesn't happen again. He was pretty calm for the most part, and definitely didn't want to put myself in a bad spot. Thank you for the information. It was a real question I had since I've had to deal with them in the past many times. Nothing against DE at all, he seems like a good dude. Just wanted to see what the actual laws were so I appreciate your post.


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## Jeffbro999#2 (Feb 17, 2014)

Desert Eagle said:


> There you are... I live on the water. This kinda puts me close to some LEOs patrolling the waters. I ask lotsa questions 'cause there are MANY laws that I wasn't familiar with when I first moved here.


I'm the same way, asking as many questions as possible, but this never occurred to me to be a question to ask. I'm on the water almost everyday, so I guess you could say I live on the water as well(although I did live on Mulat for many years). Getting stopped by FWC 20 times or more a year allows plenty of opportunities to ask questions :thumbup: Thanks for the info DE


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## Desert Eagle (Apr 25, 2012)

Hoo-ah!!!


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