Fla. teen reels in 800-pound alligator

It was a battle of man versus beast Friday evening on Florida's picturesque St. Lucie River.The contenders: Tim Stroh, a 6-foot-3, 160-pound 19-year-old against a three-legged alligator, more than 12 feet in length and 800 pounds in weight. Armed with what his dad described as a "puny" fishing rod, the teen triumphed.

Gator-hunting runs in Tim Stroh's blood. His parents, Steve and Rachel Stroh, own a taxidermy shop in their hometown of Hobe Sound, Fla. Steve Stroh told Florida's TCPalm.com that he's hosted guided gator hunts since 1989.

So naturally, the family was excited when they heard rumors of a large alligator in the locks of the St. Lucie River, reported TCPalm.com. The three of them, plus a friend, loaded up a gator-hunting boat Friday, not knowing what they would find — if anything.

Then, within an hour of being out on the boat, TCPalm.com reported, they spotted it.

"I thought it was just a 9-footer," Tim Stroh told TCPalm.com. "Then I saw how big it was."

Others on the boat tried reeling in the alligator first, but couldn't. Then Tim, using a "puny bass rod," tossed his line, Steve said.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy