Pesky Gator Gets Greedy!

Florida is one of those southern states where you can find alligators in almost all bodies of water.  Most of the time they don’t bother anyone, but there are some exceptions.

My lovely wife Karen and I were camping at one of our favorite RV parks called Meadowlark Shores for her birthday.

We launched our inflatable Sea Eagle boat and headed toward the Caloosahatchee river before heading upriver to a favorite canal several hundred years away.

I started fishing right away in an effort to catch whatever would bite my worm.

We always carry another fishing outfit with us, so I rigged it up to possibly catch some Channel Catfish.

Within a few minutes after casting out with a chunk of calves liver, we noticed a small alligator showed up and stopped some 50’ or so from our bobber, where it just sat there staring, probably hoping for a fish to latch on so it could rush in and get a free meal.

Every time we moved to another fishing area, there was that pesky gator, staring at our bobber.

A few hours later we had reached the end of where we wanted to fish when we again saw the pesky gator staring at our bobber but not doing anything.

I turned away for just a minute to cast my worm with my ultra light outfit, and turned back around to reel in the other pole when I saw that gator swimming very fast toward our bobber.  Before I could reach the heavier pole, that nuisance gator latched onto the bobber and headed back toward the bushes.

Since I didn’t wish to reel a gator toward our little 10’ boat, I grabbed the reel spool and broke the line. 

Unfortunately, the line snapped off and left a hook and a brightly colored orange bobber hanging out of that gators mouth.

The next day we fished the same area and for hours and never saw any sight of that pesky gator.  Karen said it was too embarrassed to show its face!

On our third and final day of fishing, we returned to the same canal, and this time we witnessed that same gator come out of the bushes, and cruised right past another bobber I was using. 

It just kept swimming up the canal until it was out of sight.  So, by the time we had reached the area where we would turn around and return to the main river, we actually saw that same pesky gator sunning itself on someone’s lawn.

We’re guessing it had learned its lesson about trying to steal a fisherman’s gear.

Our Ortona South Campground host saved the day!

For us, camping is always a great experience!  It’s about the quality of the campground, the people who manage everything, and the friendly and interesting people we meet during our short stay.  Not to mention the overall appearance of the grounds, and of course the fishing. 

            Normally, our camping is a bit uneventful during the day when we’re not out fishing.  But this past 4th of July was anything but uneventful.

            It all started when I backed our Tundra into the shade of the awning so I could install a back up camera and mirror.  Before we left home, I tried to remember all the things I needed to make this install successful. I had our new camera and mirror kit which we received the day before leaving the house, so that kit, along with a soldering gun, flux, solder, an extra cigarette lighter plug, a rag, and some tools, I thought I was prepared. 

            After returning from fishing, I decided I’d give the kit a try to just hook up the mirror portion so I could plug it into the cigarette lighter, I was planning on finishing with the camera the next day, mostly due to the 90 degree days and high humidity we are blessed with during the summer months here in Southwest Florida.

            I discovered the + and - wires from the kit were so small that they were difficult to connect. So I took the cigarette lighter plug apart and discovered there was a piece missing from inside, so I couldn’t go any further with that procedure.  Then I took the camera portion out and with several hours of working outside and sweating like crazy, I finally got it hooked into the backup lights. 

            When I went to pull our truck back in front of our RV, It just wouldn’t start. Up to this point I had absolutely no battery problems at all.

            Shortly after that, I found someone in the park who was willing to loan us a miniature battery starter pack.  I hooked it up and NADA.  It was one of those small hand-held ones with about a 2 amp rating.

            Later on in the day, all snuggled up inside our RV, we heard a knock at our door, upon opening up, we discovered it was the volunteer camp host Ann.  Much to our surprise, she had a plug in battery charger and offered it to use.

            After hooking it up, we checked the % of charge and it was only at 15%.  Naturally the truck wouldn’t start so we waited until it reached 35%, still no start or even a clicking noise one would expect from the starter.

            We stood there chatting with Ann and she told us they had a power boat and used this charger for any battery emergencies.

            Meanwhile, the charger was doing its job charging our dead battery.  A short time later, the charger reached 55%, so I decided to try starting again, VOILA, it fired up instantly!

            Karen and I could not have been any happier, since we had lined up several mobile auto repairs in addition to our Good Sam’s Roadside Assistance.  It was difficult to get anyone to come out to help us except for Good Sam’s, which we had already scheduled for the next morning.

            We discovered that the kindness of our camp host Ann not only saved us a lot of frustration, which we had already gone through, but she went way beyond her normal realm of duties by helping someone in dire need, even when she didn’t have to.  It only took me a few minutes to jump on my tablet and order a charger like the one we were borrowing. It's a Schumacher SSC-1500A model I bought from Walmart online for $50.

            We left that charger on until nightfall and it got up to 82%, so I turned it off for the night and plugged it back in the next day very early so we could hook up and return our RV to its safe storage not far from our house.

            This past 4th of July will be one we will remember for a long time.  Didn’t see any fireworks, but we did meet one of the nicest camp hosts we’ve had the pleasure to know.  

The Perfect X’mas gift!

For Christmas 2016, I received the perfect gift, it wasn’t a new rod and reel, it wasn’t a fish scale, cause I really like the one I use, and it wasn’t gold bars. Are you done guessing? 

You’ll never guess, so I’ll tell you.  It was a 13 lb. Channel catfish.  That’s right, I said channel catfish! 

My honeybuns and I were camping at Lake Manatee State Park for our Christmas time.  Mostly so we can drive into Tampa to be with my brother and his wife and friends.

On Christmas eve day, we decided to fish a few hours before driving north to Tampa.

After launching our Sea Eagle, we immediately headed over to one of our favorite fishing areas.  At first we caught and released a few small bluegills, so we just kept moving around and casting toward the plants near the shore.

About half an hour later, we anchored near a large patch of water lettuce.

I hooked up a night crawler, tossed it near the water lettuce and sat my pole down while I took care of a small task.

Some minutes later, my pole started bending so much that I thought it was going to go into the lake.

I started reeling in a fish that felt like a monster to me.  It took awhile to get it to our boat, but honeybuns finally netted it safely.

NO, it wasn’t a 13 pounder!  It was a 2’ long five pound Channel Catfish.  I was like a kid with a new toy.  Eating this type catfish is a real treat to me so excitement was overflowing.

After that great catch, we motored over to another place we like to fish at.  Off in the distance, we could see the guy who had launched ahead of us.

After reaching our fishing area, I started catching a few more bluegills.  Then I looked up and saw that other fisherman we saw earlier coming toward us.

When he got closer, he yelled out, “do you want a fish”?  Naturally I couldn’t say no.

He lifted this 13 lb. Channel Catfish and my eyes almost popped out of my head.  My excitement increased as we motored over to his boat.

Before handing it off, the guy told us he had to remove the hook.  And when he did that, he explained that after landing this monster, he noticed that it was not only hooked, but at the other end of the line was a brand new fishing outfit.

We were all in disbelief from that bizarre catch.  We thanked him several times and motored off back toward the ramp.

For our camping adventures during Christmas time, it just doesn’t get any better than that.  This perfect Christmas gift will be one we shall remember for a lifetime!