Austin Kimbrough bagged the gator at the Guadalupe Wildlife Management area near Tivoli.
"We put out a fishing line with a half of a chicken on it," he said. "You leave it out overnight."
The gator measured 13 and a half feet long and 750 pounds.
"There was this monster gator," said Kimbrough. "I've never seen anything like it before."
But even dead, the gator put up quite a fight. Just getting him in the 14-foot boat proved to be plain impossible.
"We tried and tried and tried and finally we get it up, head in the boat and the boat sank because it pushed the side of the boat down and it filled full of water," said Kimbrough.
They righted the boat and went in search of people who could help them get the giant animal out of the water.
Once on shore, Kimbrough and his dad were able to take stock of the reptile. It wasn't a record-setter. The state record was set earlier this year by a teenager in Katy, but the massive gator is certainly something to talk about.
The gator is being processed now. Kimbrough will get back the skull, the tanned hide and some meat. Meantime though, it was an adventure that doesn't quite seem real.
"I was hoping for maybe an 8- or 10-footer," he said.
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