G&B Gator Gear

G&B Gator Gear isn't a shop that marks up other people's products. They manufacture their own equipment in-house, which means every harpoon, bangstick, snatch hook, and driver gets made with the workmanship that comes from actually hunting alligators yourself.

The founders learned the hard way. Their first season, they bought fancy-looking gear at a training class and thought they were set. Didn't work. They ended up hiring a guide to finish their tags. That original setup never saw another season—except the bangstick. After that, they paid attention to what experienced hunters actually used: simple gear that functions in the field.

Drivers come in two sizes (1 1/2" and 1 1/4") and mount to standard wooden poles. The stainless steel push pin is 3/8" x 4", turned down to 1/4" at the point to accept the dart. Screws are provided to secure the driver to your pole. You source your own wooden pole from Lowe's or Home Depot (molding section)—no reason to pay shipping on something that weighs nothing.

Darts are 3/8" diameter stainless steel with a 1/4" push pin mounted on stainless steel aircraft cable. The side hole is counter-sunk so cable doesn't wear on sharp edges. The back is flared out so when you harpoon a gator, the dart turns in the gator while the pole separates and comes out. Total cable length: 18", double-crimped on both ends.

Complete Harpoon Kits include everything except the wooden pole.

Bangsticks should never be loaded until you're ready to use them—they fire on contact with anything. Once loaded, avoid the boat bottom and anything but the gator.

• •Placement is critical. Just behind the skull, centered on the neck, angled forward if possible. Hit him too far back or off to the side and you either stun him or make him mad. Hit him in the skull and you destroy the taxidermist's work and send bone fragments flying.

You can buy bangsticks mounted on poles, or pick up a powerhead from dive shops (divers use them on sharks). Most dive shop models use 6mm threads and are designed for spear guns. G&B Gator Gear offers an adapter to attach dive shop models to wooden poles. Metal poles work but might end up in the lake.

Spring-style heads vs. barrel-slide O-rings: Spring style requires less force to fire, making it easier to hit your target. Both work, but spring style costs more.

If you use a shotgun caliber, skip shot shells—use slugs. One shotshell and pellets go through the meat in the jaws and neck. Most gator processors won't buy gators shot with shotshells because of this.

Bait is effective even though it's less exciting than sneaking up and harpooning. Florida law requires you to keep the line attached to the boat at all times.

Their proven setup: - Small rope attached to bait with peg - 50-foot section of ¼-inch rope - Hundreds of feet of small rope wound on an electrical cord reel - Deploy line as you move away from bait

When the gator grabs it, he has line on the spool to run with. Once you feel him swallow, reel in while moving toward him. You can slowly pull him up and harpoon, or use a rope and big hook to snag him (less likely to pull bait back out).

If he runs into thick weeds, a wood pole with a hook on the end (bike hooks work) lets you sort through weeds and follow the line without putting your hands anywhere near the gator's head.

Track your bait: - Clip a buoy on the line a good distance from bait—shine a light to see it from far away - When reeling in, you know you're 50 feet from the bait when you reach the heavier line - Pull on the line to feel if the gator's on it

Bait placement: Bait must float or be suspended above water by hanging from a tree limb, bush, or pole driven into the lake bottom. Higher hanging = bigger gators needed to reach it.

What works: - Chickens (whole birds swallowed by big gators, torn apart by smaller ones) - Road kill - Liver - Lungs - Fish (they've caught 10+ foot gators on tilapia from Walmart)

Key rules: Can't be submerged. Easier to smell = faster gators find it. Bigger bait = bigger gators required to swallow it.

Rigging: Use wire or a clothes hanger threaded through the bait like a sewing needle to attach small rope and peg.

Ships nationwide to hunters in: - Florida - Alabama - Georgia - Louisiana - Mississippi - South Carolina - Texas - Arkansas

Phone: (813) 365-3132 Facebook: G&B Gator Gear, LLC Email: [email protected]

"Never forget that the most important thing when hunting is to keep safe. When a gator is on things can get hectic and exciting but you have to remember to keep safe."

Things that can get you: snatch hooks on the deck, bangsticks, and that gator you just made mad by sticking him with a pointy stick. Never use bare hands to pull weeds—you don't know where the gator's head is.