[rjohnson107]

Be alert! I believe I may have spottted a rather large gator in the Titlum-Tatlum Bayou of Christmas Bay Thursday Morning.
I was about 300-350 yards away from what I thought was part of an osyter reef sticking out of the water. For whatever reason, I matched the object to a fixed telephone pole on shore, to see if it was stationary. To my suprise, the object SLOWLY began to move towards the shoreline (20-25 yards). After watching the object for a few minutes, I thought I saw what looked like a snake-like whip of a tail. My inital impression was that of the Loch Ness monster. Anyway, the object stayed pretty much in the same location while I slowly made my way towards it (on the OPPOSITE side of the bank). Once i was about 100-125 yards away from it...the object did not swim off or splash away. It slowly SANK DOWN! This along with the absence of any fins, and the long snake-like tail I KNOW I saw...gave me the impression that it was likey a gator. I didn't stick around much longer once the object went sub-surface. Needless to say, I was a bit anxious to vacate the vacinity!
Once I had time to analyze the event, I came to the conclusion that the object I saw in the water, was in fact the head of the possible gator. Based on pictures I looked up once home, I probably saw it's eyes, and snout. And believe me, if this was a gator that I saw...this thing was FREAKIN' HUGE!!!! The head alone was bigger than the bow of my T-120. I estimated it to be between 8-10 feet long. If any of you paddle the titlum-tatlum Bayou with any regularity, be on the look out around the #15 marker (the location was about 300-350 yards to the south of this marker, facing towards Follets). I won't be paddling that area alone for quite a while, needless to say.
Question- I was under the impression that gators avoided saltwater areas due to the blindness caused by prolonged exposure to the salt water? Is this true? I know that they frequent the marshes around the Anahauch (sp?) area, but don't these marshes have a greater in-flow of freshwater?
Any thoughts or comments?

 

[Catn' Around]

saw a nice one when heading into a back lake of west matty last weekend. Didn't dive untill we were almost on top of him.

 

[Stuart]

Where exactly were you at? Titlum Tatlum and Christmas Bay have nothing to do with each other.

 

[waterdog]

i saw one swimming across the intercoastal right around bastrop bay this past Easter.
approx. 5'

waterdog
class of '99

 

[MEGABITE]

They are out there alright.

MEGABITE

 

[TooShallow]

Stuart...Titlum is connected with X-mas bay at the Northern end.

 

[Steelersfan]

My buddy and I saw about a 10' to 12' in the ICW just north of Freeport one day. Probably the biggest one I have seen in the wild. We saw a few smaller ones that same day further north on the ICW towards drum bay and above that. It was one of the first really nice warm spring days with lots of sun. Had those critters out and about.

 

[James Herman]

Gator

I was in Rock Port a month ago with the Back water Hawgs. we were wading a couple hundred yards from the boat when J-mac made a comment about all the red fish by the shore. I made my way closer to get into some of the action when Jmac mention he thought he saw a gator. I orlganally felt like he wanted me to stop pot licking so I never looked. No only was it a gator but I could reach out and touch him with my soft plastic. I was concerned however I took solis in the fact the gator would probebly eat Jmac first (Jmac is meal sized). After about a hour of the beast going down and up we decided to head back to the boat. Needless to say it was a little spooky.

 

[Bigwater]

Yes Titlum dumps into the upper end of Christmas. Theres gators all over that area in the marshes behind Bastrop, Christmas, Chocolate. Saw a 5 footer up in Halls Bayou last Monday. Theres a young one up at Horseshoe. Kneedeep saw a float moving around in chocolate a couple months back. He was curious when he came in so he checked it. He pulled it up and when the Gator emerged he almost fell out of the boat it scared him so bad. He says he thinks TP&W may be up there trying to relocate some of these but he's knot sure. Gators are all over the marsh down this way. Mainly they're scared of people but you get a big Sow with babies in the spring and it's on like chicken bone. Stay away from those they're very protective of the young. If you see a baby and he starts croaking you better head for the hills cause mama is a coming.


Bigwater

"Go Peck a Rock"

 

[boat_money]

i've seen 4 in st charles this year. i've also seen a big one in front of the army hole. another near the airport in copano. i've seen lots of big gar in x,-mas this year. but you wouldn't have confused a gator with a gar. everyone i've seen, i've seen while wading. definitely spooky when they go under and you're in waist deep water. aren't we gettin close to a nesting season for females??

 

[waterdog]

i've also seen one near the airport in copano bay, that was last year and it was pretty small. i'm kinda 2nd guessing duck hunting rockport. my dog would be a great gator treat.

 

[Stuart]

I would say that Titlum Tatlum dumps into Bastrop Bay on the upper end. Cold Pass is in between Christmas Bay and Mud Island/Titlum Tatlum, so there is no way that I would consider it dumping into Christmas Bay.

 

[goinpostal3]

Last fall we were gigging (walking) in the Christmas/Bastrop arean and we came across a 4 foot gator. It swam up to us and we had to tap it on the head with a gig to spook it off. It left and so did we. Figured he might have had bigger friends in the area.

 

[Bigwater]

Stuart,
I wouldn't sweat it much. You're right about it being right where you say it is but if you cross the little channel there that leads from Bastop into Cold Pass you're in the North end of Christmas. You're on though you know where it's at.

Bigwater

"Go Peck a Rock"

 

[Moonpie]

Gators in Tit'lum is nothing new. Seen them several times. There's a gobs of'um over in Nick's and Salt Lakes. They just swin over the ICW and into Drum and X-mas Bays.
Wait til you see one of the ugly old honkin' big alligator gars come cruising by under your yak. I know they're harmless but always unnerves me anyway. LOL.

 

[Stuart]

Stuart,
I wouldn't sweat it much. You're right about it being right where you say it is but if you cross the little channel there that leads from Bastop into Cold Pass you're in the North end of Christmas. You're on though you know where it's at.

Bigwater

"Go Peck a Rock"

Well, I haven't been wrong this year and we're half way through it. That, plus the fact that I was running boats all through this area when I was a teen and I'm 41 now :wink:

 

[TooShallow]

Titlum splits into three on the north end. The main channel does indeed go out into Bastrop as does the right finger. The left finger, which is a marked Kayak route, goes into X-mas. I was just trying to point out that X-mas and Titlum are connected. Sorry if any offense was taken.

 

[rjohnson107]

Thanks for all the comments. Spooked definatley, scared no. Had no idea that they would be in that particular area. Makes me re-think wading in certain spots from now on. Christmas-Bastrop, the north end of Titlum = pretty much the same area. When's gator season?

 

[Stuart]

Titlum splits into three on the north end. The main channel does indeed go out into Bastrop as does the right finger. The left finger, which is a marked Kayak route, goes into X-mas. I was just trying to point out that X-mas and Titlum are connected. Sorry if any offense was taken.

Don't be crazy, no offense was taken by me, and I'm sorry if it sounded like it.

 

[bslittle79]

No worries guys... I see them all the time over here in Sabine and in the backlakes. If the gators are out the fish are biting. Same way with the cows...if the cows are feeding(grazing), all other wildlife is feeding too(country boy's feeding table)... Just beware if you are wading or kayaking. My lawyer has had them bump his kayak in the back of Keith Lake over here. I've seen them in Matagorda off the Diversion Channel.

I was fishing a cut on Sabine on an outgoing tide. The tide brought a 5'-6' gator with it. He swam up to my topwater and rolled at it. It hooked him behind the back leg. Well he wasn't going to keep my new Topwater, so I cranked him to the boat. He was coming in backwards cause where the lure was hooked. I grabbed his tail, took the lure out, took some pictures, let him swim off. In the picture I'm holding his tail to my chest and his head was still in the water.