An alligator captured at Lake Arlington bt Mark Everett on March 22.
Mark Everett/Courtesy
A North Texas fisherman who thought he had hooked a large catfish instead found himself reeling in an alligator at Lake Arlington — an encounter he recorded on video that later spread online and led to multiple citations.
Mark Everett said the incident happened March 22 while he was fishing near Eugene McCray Park using chicken liver as bait.
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Everett said the animal fought for more than an hour, repeatedly diving and circling the boat in the current as he tried to reel it in.
“My arms were worn out,” he said. “Every time it got close, it took off again.”
What began as a routine catch quickly turned uncertain. He first believed he had hooked a large fish, then a gar, before recognizing the animal.
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“I thought it was a big fish at first,” Everett said. “Then I saw the nose and realized it was an alligator.”
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He said the fishing line was rated for about 50 pounds, far less than the estimated weight of the alligator, which he said measured more than 8 feet long and weighed more than 200 pounds.
Everett said he worked to manage the line and eventually secure a rope around the animal after several failed attempts.
Everett said he guided the animal toward shore, where a small crowd gathered nearby. He said he began livestreaming to show the encounter in real time.
He said the hook had caught the alligator near its chin. After bringing it to the bank, Everett said he tied the animal in place long enough to remove the hook before releasing it back into the water.
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The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said its game wardens investigated after receiving a report of an angler catching an alligator at the lake around midnight.
Officials said the angler brought the alligator to shore, removed it from the fishing line and later released it. The agency issued citations for illegal possession of an alligator, intentional feeding of a free-ranging alligator and not having a hunter education certificate, and gave a warning for hunting without a license.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game wardens said the angler also live streamed the encounter for about two hours, during which he fed the alligator and encouraged people to come by and take photos with it.
Everett said he is now dealing with fines tied to the citations and was required by Texas Parks and Wildlife officials to complete a hunter education course as part of the process.
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“They said I had to take a safety course,” he said. “I’m doing that instead of paying part of the fine.”
He said the course, which he took online, covered firearm safety and hunting regulations — topics he said he was not expecting after a fishing trip.
“I wasn’t trying to hunt anything,” Everett said.
According to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials, unintentionally catching an alligator while fishing is not a violation if the animal is immediately released, but intentionally feeding an alligator is illegal because it can cause the animal to lose its natural fear of humans and increase the risk of dangerous encounters.
The agency advises people who encounter an alligator to keep their distance and back away slowly if they are close, noting that the animals are typically wary of humans but can become aggressive if they associate people with food.
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Everett said he fishes the lake regularly and has seen only two alligators there in nearly four decades.
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“I’ve lived here 38 years, and this is the second time I’ve seen one,” he said.
He said the experience changed how he will approach similar situations in the future.
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“I learned my lesson,” Everett said. “I wouldn’t mess with one again.”