Angler, gator and law enforcement

A Jacksonville, North Carolina Marine recently had a fishing trip he is unlikely to forget.

Adam Robert Rush, 27, a Marine sergeant was bass fishing the Blue River in his 10-foot john boat when his trolling motor quit working. An alligator, estimated by Rush to be nine-feet long, made a bee line for the disabled watercraft.

“He had fish hanging off his boat, and I suspect that is what the alligator was after," said Sgt. C.F. Smith with N.C. Wildlife.

With the gator trying to get the stringer of bass, Rush pulled the fish on board, which prompted the reptile to follow them.

"He tried to get into the boat, so I hit him in the head with the oar," Rush said. But with the engine dead and the oar broken, Rush was stuck. Not only was he dead in the water, but he now had a hungry gator with a taste for fresh fish, circling his boat.

Rush was eventually towed to shore by a friend who was nearby and law enforcement officials arrived on the scene. The story didn’t get any better for the angler from there. He ended up being cited for having short fish and not having his boat registered.

You can read more at: http://www.enctoday.com/news/rush_63451_jdn__article.html/alligator_boat.html