Happy Gator

So I would like to share a story. It was 2007, outside of Charleston, South Carolina. I was fishing at a local golf course in March, so there was few to no golfers. The water started to warm and was about 58 degrees. I had been catching Largemouth since Feb 2, so I was hoping to change it up. Honestly I was trying for a catfish, so I hooked on a Gulp 8" worm and casted out. In SC every body of water holds alligators, so I memorized how many gators had territory in each body of water. I had them named after a while (fishing is slow in Feb....). I hadn't seen ol' Albert yet but I knew he wasn't very far away.

After a few minutes I felt a strong tug. Happily I set the hook into a hog. I knew it was something good. 

A minute later I saw it, a beautiful new fish! A Bowfin, I thought my heart was pounding until I saw ol' Albert cruising my way. Then my heart was really pounding! My bowfin was about 5 yards out. Albert had felt the vibrations in the water and was headed right towards my new lifer... My eyes were glued to the gator as I pulled the bowfin out of the water. He was strong and still full of fight. I tried to hold it but my attention was elsewhere. The bowfin fell to the ground, as I try to pin it, it flopped closer and closer to the water. There was only so close I would go since now Albert was a few feet away, watching from the water. The bowfin flopped once more and landed in the waters edge. I frantically grabbed the fishing line (since the my bowfin was still hooked). At that moment Albert took one quick swoop, and my bowfin was now Albert's breakfast.

I then felt a searing pain in my hand... My fishing line sliced my finger open. Luckily my line snapped almost immediately. And I was left only with this cut to remind me of my one and only bowfin. A scar formed and will remind me of ol Albert until I catch a new one.