Fishing, Boating and the Water’s Edge

If you fish in gator or crocodile country, this chapter is for you above all others. Fishing is one of the great American pastimes — but anglers are consistently over-represented in alligator and crocodile attacks, and the reasons are entirely about behavior, not bad luck. The sport puts a person exactly where these animals hunt: at the water’s edge, often alone, often at dawn or dusk, often standing still and focused, sometimes wading, frequently surrounded by the smell of fish and bait. A careful angler can do everything else in life sensibly and still walk straight into the one situation a crocodilian is built to exploit.

Why fishing is uniquely dangerous

• It draws you to the edge. The whole activity happens at the margin between land and water — the precise strike zone of an ambush predator.
• It happens in the danger hours. The best fishing is often at dawn and dusk, exactly when crocodilians are most active.
• It involves bait, catch and blood. Fish, bait and the act of cleaning a catch put scent and activity into the water that can draw a crocodilian in.
• It rewards stillness and routine. Standing in the same productive spot, returning to the same bank day after day, is good fishing and terrible crocodilian safety — it lets a watching animal learn your pattern.
• It tempts people to wade. Reaching a better cast, landing a fish, or retrieving a lure draws anglers into the water. This is where many get taken.