Late spring and early summer bring many out to East Texas lakes and swimming areas, but it's also an active time for big reptiles like alligators. Two instances in two East Texas counties now have some concerned over the presence of the reptiles, one in a popular swimming area, and one in a landowners small pond. A normal Monday at Lake Hawkins beach, with swimmers and sunbathers enjoying themselves, until one person spotted a 3-to 4 foot alligator coming to the shore nearby.
I had never seen one until that day," said witness Matt Ensley. A week ago , Bruce Wofford had a gator show up at his small White Oak pond. Ensley was working at Hawkins lake and calmly encouraged the gator to leave. I went in the water and shooed it off , and it went on its own happy merry way," he says. It's long been known that alligators are in lake Hawkins, and they've been spotted before cruising around the swim area.
It was 3 years ago that a large gator was seen near the Hawkins beach area. But the sightings are no reason for alarm. This is the time of year alligators are on the move. They're being spotted all over our East Texas lakes, not a cause for concern," Long says. Though there's never been a recorded attack by an alligator on a human in East Texas, the fear remains.
People say well I don't want to be the first statistic. Photos of the creature identified it next to a bush or tree, which Tim Lewis advised, were taken near Skyline Drive in Kingsland.
He identified its locale to KXAN news in a report they issued the following day. That individual had not seen the alligator or caiman, and no new sightings have been reported since. Starting in February, white bass begin their annual spawning run up the Llano and Colorado River arms.
Productive lures for white bass include twister tail jigs, small hair jigs, small crankbaits, and small topwaters. Live-bait fishing with minnows is also productive. The Lions Club boat ramp in Kingsland offers close access for anglers wishing to fish for white bass in the upper reaches of the Llano River above Lake LBJ during the spawning run.
Crappie fishing can be good on this lake, especially around docks and man-made brush piles. Stinkbaits and cutbaits work well for blue and channel catfish , while live bait is preferred by large flathead catfish. Freshwater Links:. Gators can move at speeds up to 20 miles per hour. In , a 3-foot-long alligator was seen chasing a pet dog around the yard in Platter, Oklahoma, near Platters Flat State Park.
Feeding-habituated alligators lose their fear of humans and can be dangerous to unsuspecting humans, especially children. Ponds and waterways at golf courses and high-density housing create a similar problem when alligators become accustomed to living near people…. This provides federal protection for alligators but allows state-approved management and control programs.
Alligators can be legally taken only by individuals with proper licenses or permits. Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina, and Texas have problem or nuisance alligator control programs that allow permitted hunters to kill or facilitate the removal of nuisance alligators. Other states use state wildlife officials to remove problem animals. Writing and blogging for business and for fun, Mia Sherwood Landau works from her cabin in the woods on Lake Texoma, where she loves to knit and sew and and craft folk art whenever she's not writing or spending time on the water.
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