Texas Fisherman Lands Unusual Catch After Finding Alligator at the End of His Line

A man in Texas City landed a catch to remember from his backyard creek recently, after he was shocked to see an 5-foot alligator at the end of his line.

Ruben Suarez Jr told Storyful he was fishing in his backyard for alligator gar, something he said he enjoys “because they put up quite a fight”. But what he spotted on April 16 was not alligator gar, but alligator pure and simple.

Suarez’s backyard security camera footage shows him attempting to measure the alligator and struggling to grab its tail before a crew from Galveston County Animal Control arrives at the scene. His phone clips show the gator in the water, and after he landed it, and taped up its mouth. The gator was released by the animal control team.

“[It] was my first encounter with an alligator ever in my life, I have never seen one back there,” Suarez said. Credit: Ruben Suarez Jr via Storyful

Video transcript

RUBEN SUAREZ JR: Ooh! He's got some power now. All right, here we go.

[CHATTER]

- And then we'll get them to the edge. Like, you'll need to always stay away from him to the side. They usually don't bite you unless you go to pick them up.

- OK, bye, dude.

[LAUGHTER]

Well, thank you for keeping care of him.

RUBEN SUAREZ JR: Yes.

- Yeah. In the future, usually what I do-- if you have a net a fishing net or something, you just put your net on top of their head and just hold it. They're really not as strong as you think they are. And just barely push some weight on his head and just get that line. He'll go right back in the water.

RUBEN SUAREZ JR: He was tired because we fought for about 2.5 hours.

- Yeah.

RUBEN SUAREZ JR: I didn't want to hurt him. I didn't what to do.

All right now. Oh, tripping, bro. Ain't nobody here to help me. There it is right there. I got him covered up, so he don't see me coming.

And I got my stick. I mean, I can touch him. He's right there. I mean-- turn this around. You can see he got his mouth closed now. I just need to tape it.

I need another rope that can go around his mouth. Who did it? Yeah, me and Tella did it. Hey!

[TELLA LAUGHS]

- Oh, my god, nobody's going to believe this.

RUBEN SUAREZ JR: Yeah, I watch too much TV.

- Well, we got to get the tape off his face.

RUBEN SUAREZ JR: Yeah. He's pretty good. He's pretty--

- It's a young one.

- He has--

RUBEN SUAREZ JR: No, do whatever you need to do. Let me get over here.

- Alligators are so beautiful.

REUBEN SUAREZ JR: Let me get some of this stuff on your way.

- Oh, you got him tied up like a dog.

REUBEN SUAREZ JR: That was my first one. I had to make sure I-- Here, I'll take him off the fence.

- Here, I got it.

REUBEN SUAREZ JR: You ready?

[CHATTER]

Yeah.

- Yeah. Yeah just cut it because their body will digest the metal.

- It will.

- Yeah.

- That's pretty long.

- To bring them on.

- Yeah. Do it away from his face so you don't cut his head. You're all right, big girl.

- It's a metal wire.

- Do you have--

RUBEN SUAREZ JR: You want me-- wire cutters?

- Yeah, wire cutters?