A fishing tale: After a slow morning on the water, I thought I hooked a monster redfish, but I’d actually snagged the tail of a 6-ish foot gator. Fought it for a solid 15 minutes, then managed to pull it within inches of the kayak before seeing the scales slowly rising to the surface. Cut line and threw away my shorts.
![An alligator drifts in the marsh near Hopedale, Louisiana An alligator drifts in the marsh near Hopedale, Louisiana](https://paprikastudios.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/JRC_1876.jpg)