Gator Sightings?

Hey guys, looking for a little help from those who have been up the rivers lately. We’ve got a gator tag that we are trying to fill this year and with some upcoming trips we are already down to the wire.

Hunted the upper Ashley last weekend at night and only saw small gators hanging out in the marsh edges.

Anyone but up that way or perhaps the Cooper around Bushy Park and seen any decent gators (8-10ft)? Day time? Night? On the banks sunning?

I appreciate any help!

upper ashley near the plantations/rice field drains.

Saw an 8 footer about 2 weeks ago cruising down river in front of the docks that are across from the rice fields at Magnolia Plantation. It was about 5:30 in the evening. It was quite interested in me. It stopped in its travels when I stepped on the dock and watched me as long as I watched it.

Iain Pelto
Sea Hunt Triton 160 w/ 90 ETEC “JB3”
Native Manta Ray 14

Thanks guys…that’s exactly where we went last weekend without any luck. We did hear a single shot around 9:00, so it could be that there were just some hunters that beat us out there. Hopefully tonight we will have it to ourselves and they haven’t been too pressured during the week.

If anyone else has some insight let us know!

Thanks!

Combahee has quit a few big ones, Steel bridge up stream to cuckolds creek or downstream. The Edisto around Willtown still has a bunch too. Good luck.

Just past the docks on the waterway past Jeremy creek going towards Georgetown… And further up Lang the dikes and fill areas. We see them there when we are crabbing…and they love to chew on the crabbers floats :wink:

miss’n fish’n

212 SEAHUNT CC
Sea Squirt 16

quote:
Originally posted by GregRo

Thanks guys…that’s exactly where we went last weekend without any luck. We did hear a single shot around 9:00, so it could be that there were just some hunters that beat us out there. Hopefully tonight we will have it to ourselves and they haven’t been too pressured during the week.

If anyone else has some insight let us know!

Thanks!


Just about every time I go into the rice field drain ditches near Middleton for bait… a few tosses of the cast net and a big ole 8-10’er surfaces at the mouth of the ditch.

Last weekend at the sandbar up river, we had to pull all the swimmers out of the water as we saw 2 nice gators staring at us - in the middle of the day, bright sunlight. They are there… just need to find em.

I heard a singe rifle shot yesterday evening at dusk over by Magnolia. Hopefully someone was successful.

Iain Pelto
Sea Hunt Triton 160 w/ 90 ETEC “JB3”
Native Manta Ray 14

probably in getting a deer

i asked the same thing about ducks but apparently thats taboo. One guy was real helpful though. Not sure where your tag is good but ACE basin area has a few

You ought to find some big ones in the freshwater side of Bushy Park… I live on the Ashley and have never really seen any gators I would consider huge. There are some big ones out there, but you want a huge gator for your tag… If you could hunt the GCR, OMG!!! There are some monsters out there, but not sure if gator hunting is permitted there or not.

Key West 19’6" CC 115hp Merc
14’ Fast Craft w/ 60hp Merc

head up quimby creek under the bridge. Back up that way before you get to the train trestle, we saw a 13’ + laid up on the bank 2 weeks ago. BIggest gator ive seen in SC, if not ever. true giant.

strip…strip…FISH ON!

Thanks for all the advice…we had a hell of a night on Thursday/Friday morning. saw a couple decent ones by the rice field and finally sank a hook in one just to have it come unglued within a few minutes…waited for about an hour and he never showed his face again.

Ended up hooking into one real strong further up river and fought him for about an hour before the line snapped. Tied another hook on and he showed right back up. Got him on the line again!

Meanwhile…our battery was worthless so we kept our motor running the entire night. Hard to sneak up on them, but it was the safe thing to do to assure we could get home. Well, we are fighting this gator around 3am and my buddy goes to put more fuel in the tank to assure we don’t run out and somehow he unknowingly disconnects the fuel line from the remote tank. A few minutes later we are dead in the water fighting an alligator.

After 30 mins or so the line breaks again and we are going out with the tide…the wrong way from the truck. We stick in the sand and wait about an hour for the tide to turn and start paddling with the current back up river.

A long 3 hours later we make it to the waffle house to lick our wounds.

Fun times…but maybe a night a don’t care to relive.

quote:
Originally posted by sniper7

i asked the same thing about ducks but apparently thats taboo. One guy was real helpful though. Not sure where your tag is good but ACE basin area has a few


Everyone can have all the ducks and gators they want and I’ll happily pass on any sightings. Trout holes I will not give up…but I’m sure that most are known. Not a lot of inshore “secret” places to those that fish and hunt regular.