That's NOT a Catfish: Man Accidentally Pulls Dinosaur out of the Bayou on Film
A Louisiana kayaker got more than he bargained for on a fishing trip with his daughter.
Lance Burgos and his daughter, Evan, decided to do some fishing in a pedal kayak at Fausse Pointe State Park after a day hike in April 2016.
Out on the water, the two investigated a pool noodle that had been rigged like a catfish jug after they saw the noodle bobbing up and down in the water near their campsite.
After pedaling up to the noodle, Burgos felt resistance when he attempted to lift the line. He knew whatever was on the line had to be something big — he just didn’t know how big.
As he stretched the line between his arms, he warned his daughter to be careful. It was a good thing she followed his advice, because at the other end of the line was an alligator.
“I thought it was a big garfish,” Burgos told NOLA.com.
Needless to say, Burgos let go of the line as soon as he saw the gator’s head and teeth. He also pedaled away as quickly as he could.
Burgos told the Louisiana Sportsman that he only pedaled with that kind of urgency once before — at an Inshore Fishing Association kayaking competition.
“The only time I’ve pedaled that fast is at an IFA event, when I thought I had a winning stringer. I’m going to have nightmares about that gator forever,” he said.
“I was in a 13-foot Hobie Outback, and that (gator) had 3 foot of head that was a foot and a half across,” he told NOLA.
He added that they had spotted some alligators while camping, but none as big as they saw on the end of the line that afternoon.
Take a look at this amazing catch:
The video went viral and Burgos said that he had always wanted to be interviewed by Louisiana Sportsman, but not for a close call with an alligator.
“I’ve always wanted to be in Louisiana Sportsman for catching a 10-pound gator trout, not for catching an actual gator,” he said.
It is good to know that Burgos has a sense of humor about this adventure.
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