Travel South Carolina Whopping 625-Pound Alligator Pulled From South Carolina Lake Wow! By Meghan Overdeep Meghan Overdeep Meghan Overdeep has more than a decade of writing and editing experience for top publications. Her expertise extends from weddings and animals to every pop culture moment in between. She has been scouring the Internet for the buzziest Southern news since joining the team in 2017. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on September 15, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Cordray's That's a lot of gator! The first weekend of South Carolina's annual alligator hunt meant big business for Cordray's Processing and Taxidermy in Ravenel over the weekend. Among the 18 gators they received for processing, one in particular stood out. Michael Cordray, who started the business about 30 years ago, told The State that the 13-foot, 625-pound whopper Nick Gibert and crew caught in Lake Marion Saturday was among the top five alligators for length and weight he's ever processed. Cordray's Processing and Taxidermy shared photos of the gigantic reptile on Facebook, eliciting shock and awe from fans. South Carolina's biggest recorded alligator catch was 13 feet 6 inches and 1,025 pounds, caught by big game hunter Maryellen Mara-Christian in Lake Moultrie on September 15, 2010. The state distributes around 1,000 alligator tags a year via lottery. According to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, roughly 300 alligators are killed each season. In a Youtube video shared by Cordray's, Gibert said it took about 30 minutes to land the monster catch using two rods and a hand line. "We're just in disbelief," he said. "Really a blessing." Congrats, y'all! Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit