Fisherman catches 800lb alligator . . . by shooting it 15 times with his rifle

A Louisiana fisherman made the catch of a lifetime on Wednesday when he hooked a 12ft, 800lb alligator.



As a commercial fisherman, Rob Neil, 35, is accustomed to reeling in the big fish but catching a gator was a first for the man from Montegut.



It took Mr Neil no less than 15 rounds with his .22 calibre rifle to bring in the behemoth.

It's real! Rob Neil poses with the 12-foot alligator he caught Wednesday morning in the Intracoastal Waterway in Bourg, Louisiana

Mr Neil landed the catch in the waters of the Intracoastal Waterway near Houma, about 60 miles south of New Orleans.

After hauling in the leviathan, he told the Houma Courier: 'It's definitely a big one.'

Trophy: Mr Neil sold the first alligator he's ever caught to Big Al's restaurant in Houma where the carcass was deemed to be in good condition despite the ammunition used to kill it

Gator meat is popular in local restaurants and the skins are easily sold to clothing manufacturers so it is no surprise that the fisherman has already sold the meat to a local seafood eatery, Big Al's for $350.



Restaurant owner, Al Mahler admitted that considering how riddled with bullets the reptile was, the carcass was in good, edible condition.

Murky: The behemoth was hauled in by Mr Neil in the Intracoastal Waterway 60 miles from New Orleans

He explained: 'They don't usually need to be shot so many times, but it depends on the weapon being used. But this thing was so big Neil was probably caught off guard with it.'



'There's a certain kill spot you shoot them in on the hard part at the back of the head,' he went on. 'He did that, so this one was in pretty good shape.'

