After days of fishing with nothing to show for it, a Louisiana man was dumbfounded when he hauled in the catch of a lifetime: a massive alligator measuring 12 feet 1 inches long.

Fisherman Mark David Jr. was about to throw in the towel last week on Anacoco Lake, west of Leesville, when he discovered the monster gator on one of his hooks.

“I’m no gator expert,” Davis told The Leesville Daily Leader. “We’ve caught a few gators out of Anacoco Lake before, but never this big.”

Davis said it was a struggle getting the reptile back to shore and an even bigger struggle getting the animal on his truck. It took six people in the end to get the massive gator onto Davis' truck.

About the Author

Featured

The city of Brookhaven's mayor and City Council last week decided to remove the colored panes of glass from the dome of Brookhaven's new City Centre after residents objected to the brightness of the colors, seen here Friday, June 27, 2025. (Reed Williams/AJC)

Credit: Reed Williams/AJC