Grab your lucky donuts and a good belt as we recap this week’s Swamp People — which begins with Troy Landry contemplating the end of hunting season and the tags still left to fill.
It’s day 25 of legal gator season in Louisiana, and Pierre Part is where we start.. Economics is on Troy’s mind, as he says: “I hate to say it but we not making no money…in reality, it’s not good, it’s very, very bad.”
They have 100 tags left to fill. If they don’t tag out, Troy worries that gator hunting isn’t sustainable.
Chase wants to shoot gators in open water, but Troy is keen for him to knock off the Rambo fun and games and just drop lines with rotten chicken.
Over 40 miles south, in Bayou Black, Frenchy Crochet and Gee Singleton have eight tags left and want to close out. Big is better y’all. That’s the plan.
They come up on their first line. It’s a $25 “chihuahua” according to Frenchy who wants to go out with a real bang.
Up 60 miles north, Willie Edwards is under pressure. Our hard worker Willie needs to fill his 45 prepaid tags and do it fast. He says: “Man, it [the season] just gonna make you or break you.”
Calamity. He forgot his bait at the dock. With no time to waste, he is set back at least two hours.
Around 26 miles south, in Bayou Benoit, Joey and Dorien Edgar are hunting for monsters.
Joey’s nemesis, the legendary White Whale is spotted. He’s been hunting him for years, much like his daddy Daniel hunted Grande Noir.
They bag an 11-footer, not the White Whale, but it will do.
Back to Frenchy and Gee. Gee wants 10 to 12-footers to tag out for the season. Another puny 4-footer worth $20. Bad JuJu for them. They’ve four tags left, and they really want to go out big.
Over 20 miles east in Pierre Part, Ho and Chase are under orders to run lines. Chase spots a monster. He disobeys Troy yet again to shoot a giant in open water. Ho gets the shot in one, and they bag a good sized gator.
Meanwhile, Troy is in the next scene and he swears running lines is the most expeditious way to get it done. Jacob has something on the line, a 10-footer! Blammo. Onward Landry kin.
But that line lesson is still lost on Ho and Chase who keep on open-water shooting their gator tags. They are up on the land as they spot another.
Hopping over to Bayou Sorrel, we see Willie back getting his bait. Two hours lost, he sets out.
He treble-hooks an area with tell-tale bubbles and pulls up a gross discarded mattress from the bottom of the swamp. This almost becomes an episode of a true crime show. Moving on.
Now back with Joey who is just like Ahab – he’s obsessed. A downed line sees Joey and Dorien on the chase. Bayou Benoit is full of the big guys today as the duo bags another 11-footer.
But the winding down of the season is weighing heavily on Frenchy and Gee. These two are always positive and grateful, but the mojo for trapping gators feels off today.
That’s until they get one nice break. Gee and Frenchy are on the hunt but are beset by small gators left and right.
Line down, the salt and pepper duo finally bag a monster 11-footer. These two always mind their backs and use a winch to wrestle the reptile into their boat. Everyone else seems to just man the carcasses in the hard way.
Willie. Man the hits keep on coming. Bait on the hook, hook pulled down, no gator. Willie thinks he has a curse on him.
But a line is down, and he has a feisty 6-footer. Willie says: “This ain’t good.” I hope the finale of the series sees some big victories for this guy. He gives it his all.
Frenchy and Gee are on the hunt still. Gee fires four times. They hook plants and then the gator pops up. Finally, they get the gator and it’s another chihuahua. “You just thank God for the life you have,” says Frenchy as they haul in their last gator of the season. I shed a tear!
Still ignoring Troy’s orders, Chase and Ho are on the trail of another big one. Are they using rotten chicken? No! Ho has him in his sights. That kid can shoot! They bag a 10-footer.
Now back with our Edgar men, as Joey wants that White Whale and feels his energy.
Lo and behold, Dorien says “a linebacker” is spotted and it’s the White Whale!
At near 13 feet, this monster is lethal, and Joey worries because Dorien is so close to the edge of the boat. Joey says: “He’ll kill you nephew.”
Indeed he will. But through experience and good luck, both Joey and Dorien bag the biggest gator of the season, they estimate.
It’s time for the tally with the Landry family. Chase’s three gators have put the Landry family in a tight spot. “This could be the last season for my family,” says Troy.
Willie, however, has gone from bad to worse in the luck department. A flat tire, no gators, and our hard worker still has 42 prepaid tags left. “It’s gonna be a close call,” he worries.
Our dramatic episode ends with Frenchy and Gee cooking up a yummy dinner.
Brisket is like Thanksgiving in the swamp according to Frenchy. Gee is in hog heaven. The two thank the Lord and eat up, looking forward to the next season. They are genuine and have a great attitude about everything, like most everyone in this series.
Next week, the sizzle reel shows that some poachers bedevil Daniel Edgar while some serious drama may befall the Landry family.
See you all next week!
Swamp People airs Thursdays at 9/8c on History.