# American alligators hibernate during the winter in burrows (or “dens”) that they construct, but may occasionally emerge during brief spells of warmer weather.

# Alligators do not feed during the cooler months. Studies in captivity have shown that alligators generally begin to lose their appetite below 27°C (80°F), and stop feeding altogether below 23°C (73°F). They can easily last the winter on their energy reserves.

# Adult alligators can survive freezing conditions if they are in water. They submerge their body but keep their nostrils projecting above the water surface, so that when the surface freezes they can still breathe (called the “icing response”). Essentially their upper body becomes trapped in the ice. However, occasionally alligators may be trapped completely below ice, and have been known to survive for over 8 hours without taking a breath, because the freezing water slows their metabolic rate down to very low levels. Yet another example of their amazing ability to survive.

I would point out that an alligator whose body temp is at 73 degrees or starts getting sluggish. The more the temp drops, the slower it moves and less responsive it is. What is the temperature of the water in New Hampshire? If it’s like Missouri, then its still in the low 50s which would mean that an alligator would be practically torpid. A caiman or a crocodile would be dead within hours. Also note in the article that alligators can survive “limited freezes”. Doesn’t NH have pretty hard winters? Highly, highly unlikely a Gator would make it through the winter up there (Betty White’s pet giant saltwater crocodile notwithstanding). Now, in the middle of July or August it would do fine if someone had just dumped it in the local pond.

A Northern Snakehead - that might be a possibility. They are turning up everywhere, unfortunately, thanks to the pet industry and Asian food markets. They are pretty toothy and snappy when they get pulled to the surface. I’d be inclined to think it was that before I’d think of a gator. BTW - there is a reason I have this name

I am from Tennessee, sometimes we have very cold winters.
I live near Dale Hallow Lake, an extremely large man-made lake.
For years there have been rumors of catfish that could swallow a VW whole,
and of alligators all in the lake. They were taken as just that, rumors……until
someone caught a small sized alligator there a few years ago.

It was not a very large one of course, still very young and small.
However, people claimed to have seen them for years, and one was actually caught.

Which fish could it be? It could have been a musky, a pike, a very large pickeral or even an alligator gar. All of these fish, to the inexperienced fisherman, look reptilian–especially if you only see the head. And with the exception of the chain pickeral, four to five feet in length is not out of the question. With the water temperatures being in the ’50s, this is when these fish begin to get active and cruise the shorelines in search of food, mostly minnows and other fish.

Given the description, geographic location, water temperature, etc., I would say this guy hooked a pretty nice fish.

I only wish he would have told someone what kind of bait he was using and I would be sure to use that on my next fishing expedition for pike.

I agree with the authorities on this one. It was probably not an alligator but an inexperienced fisherman hooking a fish that he never caught before. And since they do resemble alligators, at least if you see the head of one of these trophies when landing them, most people would identify the fish with an alligator. That is not even stretching the truth. That alligator description is given to many of the fish in this family by inexperienced fisherman.

One more thing, he must have been a true fisherman because from the excitement of hooking the fish, the fight that probably ensued, and the tendency of most fisherman to embellish the size of their catch, it went from three to four feet in length to about 5 feet in length. At least he got that part of the fish tale correct. LOL

Seriously though, this alligator was most likely a nice sized fish in the pike family. If he had landed it, he would have his picture taken, a citation awarded by the state, and he could add it to his scrap book as many fisherman do. It is common to for experienced fisherman to catch musky of this size routinely. Except they know it is not an alligator.

Where was that place again? I might give that fishing hole a try on my next fishing trip.