Giant Florida Alligator Caught
Bob McNally 09.06.16
Florida’s statewide alligator hunt is underway, and some heavy lizards have been banged by hunters chasing the water beasts, usually at night with specialized gear.
The hunt has become hugely popular, with 13,000 people applying for permits this year and 6,000 persons receiving them.
One of the biggest taken thus far is a giant 13-feet-4 monster collected from Lake George, a widening of the St. Johns River near the town of Astor and a short drive south of Jacksonville. Weight of that gator was not reported by hunter Bill Moody, who hooked the creature near the mouth of Juniper Springs Run on the west shore of the lake.
The spot is remote and wild, as it’s part of the Ocala National Forest, and is a well-known place for mega-lizards.
The state record length for a gator is 14-feet-3.5 from Lake Washington, a headwater region of the upper St. Johns River.
The heaviest weight gator taken from Florida waters was a 1,043-pounder collected out of Orange Lake in Alachua County, not far from Gainesville. At over half-a-ton in weight, that beast was definitely in the water dragon category, just like the most recent one caught from Lake George.
