Hunter Catches First Known Alligator at Clarks Hill Lake in Columbia County

Tony Trobaugh pulled an 8-foot, 6-inch alligator from Clarks Hill Lake over the weekend. It might be the first gator ever taken from these waters. The catch occurred near Keg Creek in Columbia County.

Trobaugh had never caught a gator before. He received one of 88 hunting tags the Georgia Department of Natural Resources distributed this year.

"You can see in the picture, it's 8 feet 6 on the money. You really cannot beat that for a first alligator that I've ever harvested," Trobaugh said, per WRDW.

The gator had been seen around the lake before. People posted about it on social media since alligators aren't common here. Trobaugh described the capture as teamwork.

"We're all screaming, yelling, like this is just an absolute feat that you just don't get the opportunity to do," Trobaugh said.

Trobaugh thinks his catch might be the first alligator ever taken from zone nine at Clarks Hill Lake. "I've never heard of anybody getting a Clarks Hill alligator out of zone nine. So I'm like, this is it. This is gonna be the record, the very first one that I know of," Trobaugh said.

The Savannah Riverkeeper reported that warmer weather and more building projects are pushing alligators into new places. River and lake sightings differ wildly.

"You get on the river and there are 100 gators at any point. On the lake, I personally have never seen an alligator and I've been on the lake for 40 years," the Savannah Riverkeeper said.

People have thanked Trobaugh since he removed the animal. Lots of residents said they'd never heard of alligators living in the lake.