Tag: Norris Lake

Tennessee bass angler lands alligator in rarest of catches

Justin Wyrick caught the gator in a part of Tennessee where the reptiles are not known to exist.

The extraordinary catch Monday of an alligator at an East Tennessee lake has piqued the interest of state biologists.

Justin Wyrick hooked the alligator while casting a jig for bass at Norris Lake. The toothy critter measured 3-plus feet.

According to the Volunteer Times, Wyrick’s brother Tyler helped Justin get the gator safely on shore.

The catch was so rare that a Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officer biologist arrived to confirm the species and deliver the gator to the Little Ponderosa Zoo.

Alligators are not native to Tennessee and sightings in East Tennessee are exceedingly rare. (The gator caught by Wyrick might have been an illegal pet released into the waterway.)

However, the TWRA states on its website that alligators are expanding into Southwest Tennessee from neighboring southern states.

In recent years, the agency explained, several confirmed sightings have been recorded. One of the gators, caught on video at the Wolf River Wildlife Management Area, measured 7 feet.

“Alligators expanding into Tennessee is just another species that we must learn to coexist with like many of the other southern states,” the TWRA website states. “Alligators can survive Tennessee winters by going into a hibernation-like dormancy called brumation.”

The agency added: “TWRA would like to remind everyone that possessing or releasing alligators in Tennessee is illegal and poses safety and ecological risks as well as alligators are a protected species and catching or shooting one is a violation of the law.

“If you come across one while exploring the outdoors in West TN, leave it alone and enjoy Tennessee’s unique biodiversity.”

–Image showing Justin Wyrick with the alligator is courtesy of Patricia Goins

Wildlife officer thought angler was joking when reporting a rare catch

Justin Wyrick was fishing with a swimbait at a Tennessee lake when he made the catch of a lifetime, only it wasn’t what he was targeting.

Justin Wyrick was fishing with a swimbait at Tennessee’s Norris Lake when he made the catch of a lifetime, only it wasn’t what he was targeting.

What Wyrick surprisingly reeled in Monday around 5 p.m. was an alligator measuring 3- to 4-feet long, as reported by KnoxNews and WATE.

When Wyrick or his fishing companion (possibly his father) called the catch into the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the wildlife officer at the end of the line questioned the legitimacy of the catch.

“He thought the guy was joking,” TWRA spokesman Matthew Cameron told KnoxNews.

But when wildlife officer Rick Roberts arrived on the scene, there was Wyrick pinning the alligator to the ground as he held it behind the head.

“We’re not sure how it got there,” Cameron told KnoxNews. “It did not get there on its own.”

The speculation is that the alligator was a former pet that had been illegally released. Cameron estimated the reptile to be 3 to 4 years old, since they grow about a foot a year.

“Are there gonna be alligators out there? Probably not,” Cameron told WATE. “But once again, it’s possible that someone could have captured another one, brought it into Tennessee illegally and then released it illegally into the water.

“We don’t think it’s something that the public needs to be overly concerned about, but you know, obviously you need to be aware of your surroundings, very similar with other wildlife, just you know what’s out there. If someone were to see another one, don’t approach it, call us. We’ll come and try to capture it and get it somewhere that it is supposed to be.”

KnoxNews reported that alligators are naturally expanding their range into Tennessee from the southern border states, but they are not likely to be found in East Tennessee.

“This is not good alligator habitat,” Cameron told KnoxNews. “They love swampy land and warm water…The winters here get extremely cold…and they don’t prefer deep, clear water. I suppose it could survive here, but it would not be a great habitat for an alligator to thrive in.”

The alligator was taken to the Little Ponderosa Zoo, a rescue facility outside Clinton, until a permanent residence can be found.

As for what Wyrick was fishing for, we can only speculate that it was bass, but we know for certain he wasn’t targeting alligators.

Norris Lake photo courtesy of Wikipedia; photos of Justin Wyrick holding his catch courtesy of Patricia Goins; photo of alligator courtesy of Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.