Fly anglers refer to the importance of “matching the hatch” in order to ensure a successful day of fishing.
For python hunter Kymberly Clark, the appropriate phrase is “matching the catch.”
Clark recently removed a large male python from the Florida Everglades while wearing clothes similar in color to her slithery quarry.
“When you match the catch!” Clark boasted via Instagram. “Who needs Gucci when you can dress Burmese Python style. For size perspective, I am 5’ 6.” We didn’t actually measure this guy but he was long and very thin.”
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Burmese pythons are invasive and threaten native wildlife in Florida. The state encourages public hunting as a means of keeping python numbers in check and helping to slow their spread to other regions.
The effort has been a struggle, but hunters are doing their part and Clark was proud of her recent catch, stating: “Every python removed makes a big difference in preserving Florida’s ecosystem and protecting our native wildlife.”
Another recent catch involved an enormous python measuring 17 feet, 2 inches and weighing 198 pounds. It was the second-heaviest python ever captured in Florida.
The heaviest was an 18-foot, 215-pound python captured in the Picayune Strand State Forest in 2021. The longest python caught in Florida measured 19 feet but weighed only 125 pounds.
