Florida Teen Lands 800-Pound Gator With Fishing Rod

A 19-year-old Florida teen, Tim Stroh, landed a 12-foot, 800-pound alligator using only a fishing rod.

From this story on dailymail:

_”It wasn’t too long into their hunt when they came upon the Florida monster, near an Interstate highway interchange. Mr Griffenberg was the first to cast a special alligator rod, but the creature didn’t take the bait.

Tim was only armed with what his father called ‘his puny bass rod’ – but Tim thought he’d give it a go anyway.
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And so began a David-and-Goliath struggle, until Tim managed to pull the far-bigger and far-heavier gator towards the boat.

Tim told TCPalm.com: ‘I thought it was just a nine-footer. Then I saw how big it was. I was more afraid we would lose it than I was of the gator.

‘I wasn’t just pulling him in with my arms, I was using my legs. It was hard.’ But he added: ‘He had a lot of character, and I had a lot of fun.’

When the gator was in a manageable position, Tim hit it with a bang stick – a .44-caliber rifle round mounted on a stick – which stuns the animal.

Then he and Mr Griffenberg harpooned it before it was finally able to be pulled into the boat.

Steve Stroh, who runs the Southern Life Taxidermy and Guide Service with his wife, has seen more than the average man’s share of fearsome alligators.

Yet he said: ‘It’s the largest gator I’ve seen since I started guiding hunts in 1989. The processor we went to in Loxahatchee said it’s the biggest they’ve ever handled.’

Tims father plans to mount the 28in x 14in head, and tan the hide for his son.”_