A fisherman in Florida got a surprise this week when he reeled in what he thought was a catfish, only to discover he'd hooked a baby alligator.

The man was angling in a local pond in the Westchase area on Thursday when he felt something take the bait.

"To our surprise we had an alligator on the line!" He said.

"We pulled him out and removed the hook with the aid of a security guard and a growing number of neighbours that were coming to watch," he added.

The alligator was not harmed and was released back into the pond, according to the filmer.

Me and my wife were enjoying some slightly cooler weather here in Florida and decided to go catfishing. Something took the liver, which was sitting on the bottom, and to our surprise we had an alligator on the line! This is in a residential apartment community in the Westchase area. We pulled him out and removed the hook with the aid of a security guard and a growing number of neighbors that were coming to watch. The gator was not harmed and was released back into the pond. What a dangerous surprise catch!