What started as a late-night catfish run on Lake Arlington turned into something straight out of a swamp thriller when an Arlington angler pulled an alligator onto his boat and streamed the whole thing live. The fisherman, who later identified himself to reporters as Mark Everett, said he was sure he had a big catfish on the line on March 22. Instead, he hauled in a gator, brought it to shore and fed it while still livestreaming, a move that later earned him citations from state wildlife officials.
How the catch unfolded
According to KVUE, game wardens in Tarrant County looked into a report that an angler had hooked an alligator on Lake Arlington around midnight on March 22. KVUE reports that Everett pulled the alligator all the way into his boat, took it off the line and then livestreamed the scene for roughly two hours. During that time, he fed the animal and urged people to come over and snap photos. Everett told the station he was convinced at first that the strong pull on his line meant he had landed a large catfish, only realizing later it was actually an alligator.
What officials said
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department stated that game wardens responded to the report and issued citations for illegal possession of an alligator, intentionally feeding a free‑ranging alligator and failing to complete required hunter education, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The agency stressed that intentionally feeding wild alligators is illegal because it can train them to associate people with food, raising the odds of dangerous encounters on the water and along the shoreline. TPWD also clarified that accidentally catching an alligator on a fishing line is not a violation as long as the animal is released immediately.
Not the first sighting in North Texas
North Texas lakes have seen their share of big gators before, and wildlife crews sometimes step in to relocate them. For example, The Dallas Morning News reported that officials removed a 10.7‑foot alligator from Eagle Mountain Lake in Tarrant County in August 2025. Incidents like that one line up with TPWD guidance that people should not feed or approach wild alligators and should instead report sightings to authorities so trained crews can handle the situation.
Everett later described his Lake Arlington catch as something out of a video game and called the experience “unreal,” according to KVUE. He told the station he eventually released the alligator back into the water near where he caught it. The livestream footage, combined with the citations, has prompted another round of reminders from state officials about how to stay safe around wildlife and where the legal lines are when it comes to handling protected animals.
Legal consequences
According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the citations in Everett’s case covered illegal possession of an alligator and intentional feeding, and the agency noted that similar actions can bring fines and other enforcement measures. TPWD has emphasized that when an alligator is accidentally hooked and then released right away, anglers generally are not in violation. Once someone brings an animal to shore and starts feeding or handling it, though, that is when enforcement can come into play. Game wardens who write citations also use those encounters to explain the rules on dealing with nuisance wildlife and how to report it properly.
Officials continue to urge anglers and boaters not to feed wild animals, to get rid of fish scraps in a safe way and to report aggressive or dangerous wildlife to the right authorities. The Dallas Morning News has noted that residents can reach out to TPWD district offices or local marshals when an alligator seems to pose a threat, and that city and county websites often post alligator-awareness tips. The Everett episode is a pointed reminder that a “catch of a lifetime” can quickly turn into a case file when wildlife safety rules are ignored.
