# What's in OUR rivers?



## fshnteachr (Jun 9, 2007)

Big discussion going in another thread due to this alligator spotted in the river.
http://www.timesreporter.com/

I always wonder if anything like that is in our rivers? Anyone with an exotic pet could dump it in the Stillwater, LMR, GMR, or Mad very easily. What if one of us yakkers would be floating along and an alligator appears?!! I guess I would become bait!!  I know these things would never survive our winters, but if someone released it today and I am fishing this weekend, the winter isn't going to help me. Crazy stuff....


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## Mr. Smallie (Mar 25, 2005)

Seems like something like this pops up every 3 or 4 years in our streams. I'm not going to lose much sleep over it, though it would be kind of neat to see something like that.


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## imalt (Apr 17, 2008)

i always wondered how accurate the winter thing is. some of our winters arent all that harsh. I think a few years back one was spotted in the lmr or the gmr i cant remember what one. I remember an oscar being caught in the gmr last year. I think with all the crazy pets people let go when they get to big who knows what could be lurking. all i know if i get eaten in the summer by a gator does it really matter if it dies this winter. i think its funny the division of wildlife wont deal with the one in the southeast forum because it is an invasive species


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## dinkbuster1 (Oct 28, 2005)

there for a while there was a gator caught or spotted at least once a year in thr GMR watershed. remember the frozen, 8ft ANACONDA they found in Middletown along the GMR a couple years ago?  [email protected][email protected] 


http://www.middletownjournal.com/hp/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/01/30/mj013007mccrabbboa.html


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## amazing189 (May 21, 2004)

My son & I caught one in 2006 near Fosters, but haven't seen any since. 

Here's the post... http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?t=52949 

He wasn't near as scary as some of the snakes we see down there..lol


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## fshnteachr (Jun 9, 2007)

Mr. Smallie said:


> though it would be kind of neat to see something like that.


Not from sitting in my kayak in the river would it be "neat" to see...maybe from a bridge above the river.....neat....geesh....


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## Mr. Smallie (Mar 25, 2005)

I didn't say I'd like to get up close and personal. Besides, I'm sure anything non-native like that would be far more scared of us than we should be of them.

As an interesting side note, I had a buddy who swore up and down that he saw a monkey in a tree as he floated a river in Dayton.


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## SConner (Mar 3, 2007)

I'm with fshnteachr, not cool at all. I wet wade through the summer and can't imagine how bad it would be to run into a gator while wading. Very irresponsible for owners to dump exotics/invasives in the water!


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## bgrapala (Nov 1, 2008)

Mr. Smallie said:


> As an interesting side note, I had a buddy who swore up and down that he saw a monkey in a tree as he floated a river in Dayton.


Nothing would surprise me in downtown Dayton!!


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## fshnteachr (Jun 9, 2007)

Mr. Smallie said:


> I'm sure anything non-native like that would be far more scared of us than we should be of them.


I know what you meant, cool to see, but not eye to eye! lol As for them being more afraid of us, not sure I'd want to put that to the test.


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## Bassnpro1 (Apr 6, 2004)

I'll take my chances, I just want to see one!

Amazing189, you lived up to your name with that catch, that was amazing!


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## Mr. Smallie (Mar 25, 2005)

fshnteachr said:


> As for them being more afraid of us, not sure I'd want to put that to the test.


Just to be safe, you should stay away from the water! LOL

Seriously, the worse thing we have to worry about around here are the occasional big snapping turtles.


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## Ol'Bassman (Sep 9, 2008)

Mr. Smallie said:


> Just to be safe, you should stay away from the water! LOL
> 
> Seriously, the worse thing we have to worry about around here are the occasional big snapping turtles.


Years ago, I stopped at a family owned store on the way to Friendship, IN and leaning against the side of the building was the shell of a snapper that was about 30" in diameter. They had the head mounted to the wall right above the shell. The head was about 5" in diameter. That snapper would be able to take a big serious chunk out of you. Alligators, like most reptiles, will size potential prey up and if you are bigger than them or too big to eat, they will avoid you as you could make them your prey. But a big snapper, feeding along the bottom in a muddy river bottom, might just snap at any submerged portion of your body. If you do a lot of wade fishing in the summer with cut off shorts and old gym shoes, you might want to consider wearing an athletic cup.
________
WELLBUTRIN LAWSUIT INFO


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## fshnteachr (Jun 9, 2007)

Mr. Smallie said:


> Just to be safe, you should stay away from the water! LOL


You're right, I quit. Anyone want to buy some fishing equipment? 
(Good grief....)


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## homebrew (Apr 13, 2009)

Gator attacks are pretty rare in Florida, where there are actually a lot of gators.

Fishing in Ohio you can be killed by mosquitoes, ticks, drowning, lightning, slipping on a rock, the wild *******/gangbanger (same species, just different color morphology)...but if you are worried about an alligator attack then I think you can relax.


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## Mr. Smallie (Mar 25, 2005)

homebrew said:


> ...but if you are worried about an alligator attack then I think you can relax.


Good answer! I find it very difficult to believe that anyone could _SERIOUSLY_ be considering even a remote chance of danger from alligator attack. But hey, if it will keep a few people out of my fishing hole...


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## fshnteachr (Jun 9, 2007)

Mr. Smallie said:


> But hey, if it will keep a few people out of my fishing hole...


Great plan, when someone is in your hole, release a gator....I bet once they see it they will not return.


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## Eye'Eye'Captain (Apr 7, 2006)

Mr. Smallie said:


> I'm sure anything non-native like that would be far more scared of us than we should be of them.


I personally don't live by that that theory. This is probably a escaped/released pet. It had a owner/caretaker that used to feed it. Hand feed it? I hope not, but some people do. It did not grow up alone in the rivers of Ohio. It has been handled and cared for and fed. Maybe it could even approach humans when hungry? My Case:My tropical fish eagerly await splashing at the top of the tank when I approach to feed them their flake food.

"Rumor" has it here in Tusc. County it is a escaped pet from a fenced in backyard. Not a abandoned animal. Which is still terrible. Who knows? But now it's out, the owner may not come forward for fear of public ridicule or prosecution. Let me stress again this is "rumor and speculation" on my behalf. Take it for what you will.

Link to the Southeast Ohio thread where I have also contributed posts on this topic. Also where I outline a theory on how a possible warm water discharge may create a safe haven for this animal through the winter. Great! Not!http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?p=856740&posted=1#post856740


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## Ol'Bassman (Sep 9, 2008)

Mr. Smallie said:


> But hey, if it will keep a few people out of my fishing hole...


Humor has it there have been numberous sightings of huge alligators at CC, CJ, EF, RF, AL, BL, OR, GMR, and LMR. There might even be a couple of jet skiers missing. 
________
Leather Webcam


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## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

Ol'Bassman said:


> Humor has it there have been numberous sightings of huge alligators at CC, CJ, EF, RF, AL, BL, OR, GMR, and LMR. There might even be a couple of jet skiers missing.


I will be staying away from all the above mentioned lakes and rivers, ycbya. 

LMJ


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## ROCKS (Apr 5, 2008)

Would that be a bad thing if a couple of jet skiers went missing ?


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## downtime8763 (Jun 22, 2008)

Anyone that wants to sell their fishing stuff after reading some of these posts let me know as I might be interested in your stuff.If your scared of driving as the roads are more dangerous than the water, let me know also as I might be interested in you cars/bikes ect as well.If you fly,my wife and I could use a couple of airline tickets for Vegas this winter.I could go on but If you want to worry about what is in the water, go to Grand Lake and see whats in that,now that can make you sick if not kill you.


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## fshnteachr (Jun 9, 2007)

downtime8763 said:


> Anyone that wants to sell their fishing stuff after reading some of these posts let me know as I might be interested in your stuff.


The "sell my stuff" comment was totally tongue in cheek, just for laughs. Good grief...Some folks on here have to get a sense of humor.


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## rockfish (Apr 27, 2007)

i dont know about gators but i do remeber someone caught a big pirahna at the serpetine wall a fews years back!


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## Mr. Smallie (Mar 25, 2005)

fshnteachr said:


> The "sell my stuff" comment was totally tongue in cheek, just for laughs. Good grief...Some folks on here have to get a sense of humor.


I'm pretty sure downtime8763 was also trying to be funny. I don't really think he is expecting to actually buy your equipment. I figured this out because he was also offering to buy your car, bike, plane tickets, etc. and that would just be too silly to be true!

Now, the water quality of Grand Lake - that's funny!!


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## fshnteachr (Jun 9, 2007)

Mr. Smallie said:


> I'm pretty sure downtime8763 was also trying to be funny. I don't really think he is expecting to actually buy your equipment. I figured this out because he was also offering to buy your car, bike, plane tickets, etc. and that would just be too silly to be true!


Good point...my bad


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## downtime8763 (Jun 22, 2008)

fshnteachr,Sorry if took me for real on selling your gear,Mr.Smallie is correct when I addedcar/bike/plane ticket.I've seen alot of diffrent things floating down GMR,on Indian.Ft Lormie and am scared to look to hard the next time I go (if I go) to St Marys.


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## fshnteachr (Jun 9, 2007)

downtime8763 said:


> fshnteachr,Sorry if took me for real on selling your gear,Mr.Smallie is correct when I addedcar/bike/plane ticket.I've seen alot of diffrent things floating down GMR,on Indian.Ft Lormie and am scared to look to hard the next time I go (if I go) to St Marys.


No problem at all, like I said, my bad on misinterpreting. Maybe I should get that sense of humor I mentioned. haha.


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