Troy Landry & Pickle Pay Touching Tribute to Costar Who Died

The gator hunt continued on Swamp People as the crews had to deal with flash flood waters from the northern states making it hard to hunt. This didn’t make things easy for Troy Landry and Cheyenne “Pickle” Wheat as they attempted make their 900 tags. During the January 14 episode of the History Channel series they came up to their lines and bait swallowed up by the rising waters. With the end of Day 3 of the season closing in, Pickle and Troy knew they had to adapt.

Troy decided to use a tried and true Styrofoam method taught to him by Sterling Fryou, who appeared on the show over the years. The 88-year-old, known as Mr. Sterling, died in July. Troy saw using the approach of passing the hook through the Styrofoam to keep the lines afloat as a way to pay tribute to the beloved elder.

Sterling Fryou (pic by Troy Landry)

It paid off as Pickle and Troy did well on Grand Lake with an impressive pile of gators on their boat including a 9-footer. Pickle confessed to camera she’d witness Troy break down when losing these important people in his life. She felt it’s her job to tell that other side of Troy, who isn’t one to display that type of emotion publicly. The floating bait saved the day for the pair. “Mr. Sterling was watching over us today. I think we really made him proud,” Troy declared. 

Bruce Mitchell (History Channel)

Elsewhere on the bayou, Bruce Mitchell and Anna Ribbeck had also been looking at other ways to overcome the high waters. Bruce decided to break out his secret sauce. It’s so secret he wouldn’t even tell his partner what was in it. He filled the pot with garlic, Kool-Aid, and other undisclosed ingredients mixed in. They’d smother their bait with this concoction. The smell might not have been good to Anna, but it certainly was for the gators. They ultimately caught around six for the day. Throughout the day, Anna kept questioning Bruce what was included in his creation. .”You don’t really need to know yet,” Whatever it was, Bruce did say it cost three times as much as regular bait, which was why they didn’t use it all the time. One day Bruce will tell Anna, but today wasn’t the day. 

In Franklin, Louisiana, we caught up with Joey Edgar and his daughter Kallie as they began their goal of 485 tags to fill. It’s the second year for Kallie, learning the ropes of what it takes to be a commercial alligator hunter. While the family members ended the day with a 10-footer, it wasn’t the volume they needed. Joey decided not to bait for the next day and changed course to go shrimping to make some extra money. They’d be able to potentially make a few thousand dollars on a night’s work. St. Mary’s Seafood patriarch Daniel joined his son and granddaughter for the adventure. The next day Kallie felt the pressure to deliver by working on her sniping skills and treble hook hunting for gators. She was frustrated after missing the first show with the rifle, but rebounded nicely with a hot streak that ended with a 12-footer. 

Ronnie Adams and Timmy Aucoin (History Channel)

Meanwhile, Daniel set out with Zak Catchem for the season. Their catches haven’t been very weighty. They looked to target the giants in the open water. Zak proposed a rematch to their rod and reel competition. His 74-year-old colleague beat him last year, and he wanted a rematch. ”Be careful what you wish for,” Daniel said. Zak struck first with an 11-footer, but Daniel fired back with a 12-footer. Just when Daniel thought he had another win in the bag, Zak secured a massive 13-footer for the victory. 

The last team featured during the episode was Ronnie Adams and Timmy Aucoin, who were looking for 181 tags. They’d run into local crab fishermen who’d been dealing with an alligator that had crushed seven of their traps. Ronnie wanted to find the culprit not only to help them, but to secure a large catch at the same time. Ronnie and Timmy used catfish heads as bait to find the culprit. The two added an 8-footer to their boat, but it wasn’t the one they’d been eyeing. Then suddenly in the marsh, Ronnie and Timmy got the trap crusher. Ronnie felt it was the biggest gator he’d ever caught. Although the measurements weren’t told, he likened the size to a submarine. 

Swamp People, Wednesdays, 8/7c, History Channel