8-year-old boy catches 11-foot gator

LAKE WALES, Florida (KTRK) -- An 8-year-old Florida boy caught a whopper gator that measured more than 11-feet 3.5-inch long. It was his first big catch.

Grayson Chantley says his dad woke him up around midnight to go hunting on Lake Kissimmee.

"Whenever they're big I'm just like, 'I wanna get this gator,'" said Grayson.

His dad caught the entire thing on tape.

"I'm just shocked," added Grayson.

Florida's state record for the largest gator caught happened in 2010 in Brevard County. The gator was 11-feet 3.5-inches long, according to wild life officials.

Grayson says he's still amazed.

"It teaches him how to survive, it teaches him nature, it teaches him life," said Grayson's dad, Kevin Chantley.

The Chantley family runs a fishing camp on Lake Kissimmee, and Grayson says he grew up fishing and hunting.

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