BOYCE, La. (KALB) – A Boyce man said he and his father got the shock of their lives on September 6, after reeling in an alligator that stretched nearly 12 feet and tipped the scales at over 500 pounds.
Credit: Coleman Lites(Coleman Lites)
Coleman Lites, 32, has been fishing Cotile Lake since he was a kid. He told us it started out like any other day; checking lines and pulling in a couple of smaller gators. But their last line brought something unforgettable.
“Somebody had told me that there was a big one hanging out back here, but I didn’t expect it to be like that,” Lites said.
As they got closer, they spotted the massive reptile resting on the bank.
“Dude, this son of a— is humongous,” Lites recalled saying as he approached the gator.
That’s when reality hit. Father and son were suddenly staring down a monster.
Credit: Coleman Lites(Coleman Lites)
Lites said he fired five rounds to avoid having to wrestle the gator in the water. But even after the kill, the hard work wasn’t over.
“You see it on Swamp People all the time… but when it happens in real life, it’s pretty scary,” he said. “Something that big, that close to the boat.”
The next challenge, getting the 500-pound animal into a modest fishing boat.
Credit: Coleman Lites(Coleman Lites)
“It took us about 15 minutes. We’d pull a little, stop, and catch our breath. My dad’s 63, so we just kept working at it until we finally got him in. Once we did, it was a big sigh of relief.”
Lites said the best part wasn’t the size of the catch, but sharing the moment with his father.
Credit: Coleman Lites(Coleman Lites)
Back at the dock, the two hauled the gator to a buyer in Morganza. The animal measured 11 feet, 11 inches long, just one inch shy of 12 feet, and weighed more than 500 pounds.
The gator sold for $200, but Lites kept a special trophy: the enormous head.
“I’m going to mount this and put it on my entertainment center,” he said.
The gator was caught near Hoyt Road on the backside of Cotile Lake, a mile away from the recreation area. Lites has one piece of advice for people who live nearby:
“Keep your animals inside if you live on the other side of Hoyt Road.”
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