Giant Sturgeon

Ever since I was a young child I have collected stories of giant fish and other odd species and I can assure you that many lake monsters can be explained, however some will stand the test of time with no logical explanation except a unknown species to science in some cases.

Huge over grown sturgeon or other species with giant pectoral and pelvic,  secondary dorsal ,anal fins, caudal fins could they be responsable for lake monsters?

They could look like a monster especially if really over grown ,especially the pectoral fins under different light conditions may make it look like a flipper and maybe some species get larger then what is known and depending on how the fish moves in the water ,if it rolled etc,it may give the appearance of something else.

From my many many years of research in marine and freshwater animals and fish species I  have witnessed a few cases of  fish species when getting older or born sometimes with spinal type ailments that can cause them to have a hump on their back.

One pike I witnessed captured was actually almost like a camels hump on its back , another small perch I witnessed had a hump on its back and had scars on the side ,it may have been injured by another fish trying to eat it and it escaped.

I have also read of other fish finds of this nature,now admittedly I have never witnessed a sturgeon with this problem , and I have captured hundreds of sturgeon in my life time and first captured one at the age of 7 on the Ottawa river  and have enjoyed fishing for them for decades although only  a few times a season to some earlier times dozens of times a seasonon , admittedly small to the world wide population, however it represents statistically this must be rare, sturgeons frames are made of cartilage like sharks, while most fish  species are bony and this may not occur ,of course I am not privet to all research projects and maybe some fisheries may have some test of this or knowledge of sturgeon that have had this kind of condition.

If it is possible ? You then could have a massive old sturgeon that maybe develops some kind of larger spine like condition to make a hump and then this could explain some of the classic hump sightings ,not all of course but some ,also I think it could be possible that a over growth of cartilage could occur, this happens to humans with ears, nose, maybe it could happen in a sturgeon?

This could cause large hump or maybe more then one hump, the reason I put forward this theory because of some fish that I mentioned that have had a condition like that and were healthy and seemingly not hampered by it that much although this is just a few specimens I have witnessed.

 I also have witnessed a few with no caudal fin at all they just had a bit of a stump, one managed to make it to over a 20lb pike, so some fish are tough and can live with a disability.

STURGEON MORE FACTS 

This is the number one cause in my opinion and many other researchers of  lake monster stories.

Sturgeon have a huge area across the world, there could also be unknown larger species that is the cause in some instances or could be a species known that has got into the system some how.

Many times fish get lost and traverse into water systems that they normally would not inhabit and that could be the answer to where a monster starts being witnessed in a lake and then disappearing over time.

Possibly rogue fish that got into the system and died or got out again,this is a plausible answer sometimes.

It could be that some of the giant genetic strains of day gone by  sturgeon still exist?

These fish may go near 200 years of age ,also whites, belugas Atlantics etc, live ages and if a few really old fish still exist in a few systems that were born in the 1800s ,they then would likely have the huge strain factor and may pass it on and maybe a few relic giant old sturgeon in some bodies of water are responsible for some sightings.

Some species of  fish were larger on average like the Colorado squaw fish in older years, now called pike minnow, which is also the name of another fish species, they use to attain lengths of over 6 feet, today a fish over 3 feet is very rare and many other species are smaller on average then years ago on average unless artificial environments .

Sturgeon of epic proportions .

These great creatures I am sure will soon die out in the lakes with monster reports, these lakes now have cottagers invading and buying up land  ,and many lakes are are now being built up faster then ever before, the water is getting worse all over North America and maybe this era will be the last of these great beasts  ,if we do not clean up our waters and protect these lakes and our shorelines from over development we may not being seeing monsters very soon .

Here is a list of some of the known species of sturgeon around the world

Lake sturgeon, Acipenser fulvescens, this sturgeon is very common in some local areas, they inhabit many of the Rivers and Lakes of Ontario, Quebec and numerous other locals in Canada and US, they average from 4 to 6 feet top end size to a reported  over 20 feet  very unlikely however slimly possible, there is proof  of up to 15 feet for this species, one caught in Quebec was reported 14 feet long, this picture below of a fifteen foot  lake sturgeon is the largest that I have been able to find  somewhat proof for , thanks to Jim for sending this.

Now if that lake sturgeon on top or a white sturgeon or atlantics  or what ever species was going near your boat and it was making a wave ,you know you would think it is a monster , the top one is kind of thin although lake sturgeon on average are much thinner then other large sturgeon species, it was 400 pounds in weight, if it had of been a  real healthy chunkier fish it may have weighed hundreds of pounds more.

White Sturgeon like this monster above, This is a prime candidate for numerous lake monster reports, this species has been known to be found in odd places and can attain huge size, most though are under 10 feet some though have possibly reached  well over 20 feet even stories of over 40 feet long specimens although this size have never been proved.

A recent one was captured and released it was 11 feet long it took 4 fisherman  6 hours taking turns fighting it, you can find it on the net, type in 11 foot sturgeon it will pop up, awesome fish way to go guys I would of loved to hook in to that and tow me around  all night very exciting to say the least I am sure.

I must say it was very commending of these people to share in such a huge event, now fish of this size are now very rare, there is some bigger  however not common in  and it was a magnificent feat ,if one had of reeled it in they would of qualified for I am sure a record or near one for live releasing a fish possibly on what ever pound test they used ,although I know larger ones have been let go in the snake and some rivers in BC , this is a very large one for this era and although not super uncommon their  sure is not many of them are around that are captured.

They have also been found in areas that are not in their normal range and may travel up different waterways and get trapped and then water monster reports start occurring, such as the Lake Washington incident more on that below.

Beluga Sturgeon, this is a massive sturgeon of Russian Caviar fame and can attain lengths of at least 30 feet.

They are considered by most to be the largest known Sturgeon species.

The Volga River in the soviet have reports of huge specimens taken, sadly numbers have declined,also species from other countries have got in such exotics as saltwater crabs from china ,that some how can live in the Volga, even though it is freshwater river and they seem to like it and are doing well, this could be devastating to some species of fish, also crayfish species although crayfish are mostly shallower then the crabs like to live , I am sure they may have some effect on the crayfishes food sources and many other threats makes the Beluga in deep trouble, also a shark was caught way up the Volga river,they can also be found in the Black and Caspian seas and tributaries.

Atlantic Sturgeon , they are found along the east of the US and Canada in the Ocean and tributary systems,massive sturgeon have been found to travel up rivers from the ocean and may be responsible for sightings as well,those are the most likely candidates for water monster reports.

Here is some records of older Giant sturgeon  that were captured and a recent new one, that shows huge specimans stilll exist.

Beluga Sturgeon many old reports from the yukrain and russia volga river danube and others have monster sturgeon listed at over 3000 pounds and a abscure mention of a near 4000 pound beluga caught in the 1700s.

 Huso huso the latin name for this species, since the 19 80s two monster sturgeon over 1000 kilos have been captured in the volga of this species, the most recent one in  this centuray was a  Beluga weighing 2.205 lb  in weight and length was 217 inches, it was caught in the volga delta  in Russia,the monster was captured in a net by a unknown russian fisherman, this is the second giant beluga that I know of  over  1000 kilos captured in the last 25 years, this speciman was captured in the Volga delta.

Many older records indicate even larger fish as mentioned, one in the 1800s of over 1500 kilos imagine the length of that monster, 

Below is other species of sturgeon with smaller ranges, that may have larger ranges than are known or could in some cases be responsible for some sightings.

Alabama sturgeon, Shovel nose sturgeon ,Great Amur, Kaluga sturgeon , Common sturgeon ,Chinese sturgeon, Gulf sturgeon, Green Sturgeon, Russian sturgeon and many others, many of these are smaller species and not likely to cause monster sightings unless over sized specimen.

Who is to say there is not unknown varieties? Some species of sturgeon do not get that big, or at least are not known to get bigger and maybe out sized specimens can occur?

 

Carp are bottom feeders like sturgeon yet are seen all the time sunning themselves and they will eat surface food, this point to give credence that bottom type fish do not go on the surface and that it is a real monster is not valid and should not be used.

Also many catfish species will feed on the surface especialy Giant wels, a old method used by natives called clonking ,they make this little wooden device to make noise on the surface to attract monster catfish, I have caught channel catfish and bullheads on the surface or near the surface many times and I have wittnessed sturgeon on the surface or jumping many times in my life because of the water systems I spent most of my time on and  many had sturgeon in them.

Also you have some lakes where monster sturgeon are reported and yet all the people that see them know they are sturgeons and have no problem identifying them in some areas, they must all be fish experts?

Let's say that sturgeon can at times may be a very large size, especially if it was seen in a small lake ? And if someone sees a giant back and huge wave of a over sized sturgeon then that is a frightening sight indeed, it looks like a monster and to the uneducated you could see them presuming they seen a monster and in a way they did see a monster, because any animal that size is a monster in a way and is still amazing that it can survive and get so big.

Many articles I have read that are pro lake monster use the statement that sturgeon rarely come up on the surface, this is not true in many cases,this is the other reason I decided to write this peace and  tell of this little known facts about sturgeon.

Quebec has some monster sturgeon living in some of the lakes,they probably came in through a river system that pours in the lake or the larger bodies of water have natural population ,even some small bodies of water have naturally producing sturgeon.
In the spring it can be high water level in these lakes and if a river or stream connects to another body of water then fish can get in to new ones.

Many lakes that are deep and smaller in size  are easier to notice large waves, you will see at least 2 or 3 surface sightings of them jumping or their backs out of the water or cruising just below the surface in some of the smaller lakes especially that you notice them, there easier because of the smaller size.

 

Could often two sturgeon in a row be responsable for lake monster reports in some cases?

One lake I visit often ,every week camping there over the years, I and many others have witnessed sturgeon making large waves at least 2 or three times a week and often jumping as well ,one was very large maybe 8 feet in length and sounded like a car fell off a cliff when it landed, just about every summer people that live on smaller lakes that have sturgeon see them often enough and many locals see them here and there that visit from near by as well as tourist that visit on weekends, also in rivers like the Ottawa,Gatineau ,St Lawrence and many others all get sightings of  huge sturgeon or tales of  being pulled around some are true no doubt.

One told to me years ago of a guy hooking a lake sturgeon that was bigger then his 12 foot boat.

There was a article years ago in the Citizen newspaper about Lake Washington that had a duck eating monster in it, and the lake had to be drained for some reason and a big 10 foot + white sturgeon was found dead , there is why the people reported seeing a monster and obviously it was seen enough times to create the legend of the monster.

Again this proves that sturgeon do go on the surface a lot and was responsible especially in this case for the sightings, also the same reaction by the general public and the scientific community was that the witnesses had to much beer etc. It later turned out that they had really seen what they described.

Although Some giant sturgeon have been found in lakes dead were no reports what so ever existed, recently in black lake in washington state a giant sturgeon was found dead and no locals ever reported seeing anything.

 I think some sturgeon depending on the lake may not need to go to the surface rarely and other lakes if forage is not availble for a bottom hugging life style then they may change feeding habits.

Years ago I watched a huge sturgeon or maybe two of them thrashing in to a school of ciscos on the surface, it was like as if they were trying to injure them and then eat them, this behavior has been noticed in some places and also in several species of fish, and may possibly be used by sturgeon in some colder lakes more commonly then is known especialy were many minnow species suspend over deep water.

The boils were huge and one of them jumped and as I said that I suspect there was more then one fish by the  swirls in the water and the tons of ciscos jumping everywere ,as well as the ottawa river and a few others  I have witnessed sturgeon jumping and thrashing and minnow species jumping around them seeming to be escaping.

This indicated to me they possibly were feeding on them in a schooling sort of siduation and they may use this technique some times if supply of food is low in the deeper reaches of the river?So may be in some lakes sturgeon do not go to the upper water areas and surface often because food is plenty or individual fish may have different methods then others for feeding, you notice this in all fish ,one lake bass will be often caught in 30 to 50 feet of  water ,yet another lake near by rarely over 3 feet of  water, within the same fish species habits can have many variances

 

 

 

 

Giant species of fish besides sturgeon.

There is other species of fish known and maybe unknown that could inhabit some of the lakes.

Many species may be responsible

Alligator Gar, they maybe responsible for southern water monster reports or more northern areas where gar is not native in some cases.

Alligator gar have been reported to be over 20 feet in length and proof of 10 foot + specimens exist.

Texas of course has some- “Biggggggg -FFFFFFFFish” ,as everyone knows everything is BIGGGGGGGGG in Texas  lol.

All kidding aside often this statement is true.

Giant alligator gar at 20 feet or so have been reported from Arkansas ,Texas  and many other states have reports of huge gar as well,even  up  to 10 feet long needle nosed gar have been reported in Lakes in Texas also more northern states like Vermont ,Maine,  in lake Champlain they have been caught in the old days  up to 9 feet long by natives.

Stories from 5 to 7 feet long needle nosed gar and even some stories of N-N gar in the Ottawa river in ONT CANADA over 7 feet long ,these fish are old and uncommon ,however I am sure a few really out sized specimens of 6 feet or even 7 feet + our true, fisherman report seeing them in backwater areas in summer resting near the surface ,they look like a long thin log in the water, the current records for line caught fish are much smaller in Canada and the USA then the species can get .

To the uneducated a school of  large gar going in a  row could possibly make someone think they seen something although after a short period most people would realize it is more then one object. Although Most of the time aligator gar especialy huge individuals are more lowners, although they like simmilar areas and may run in to each other or in spawning time they would be more grouped

One lake in Alaska, Lake Ilimana already mentioned is home to several odd fish and animals,there have been numerous sightings of a large fish 10 foot plus, black in color.

Several pinnipeds and shark like fish have beeb reported, also Flathead Lake in Montana, this large dark fish variety has been reported for ages in this lake, now they would not be gar likely however they may be a unknown species of sturgeon or similar fish, maybe even a land locked shark of some sort or a unknown species of cold water gar?

Alligator gars have been captured very far north the odd time in rivers like the Mississippi, If the fish is huge and off course the odds of you even running across the giant fish is slim and even if you were fishing and you got real lucky and hooked one 15 feet long, the odds of you landing it would be slim unless you   are a very skilled angler and luck beyond normal and everything goes your way, you are not likely going to land a fish this way with normal freshwater fishing tackle, although giant fish have been landed on light line, fish of this size and habits would highley likely break off  if you had light line possibly if you were fishing purpusely for them with much heavier equipment you then would have a much better chance.

Even in small bodies of  water huge fish can live, in china reports of giant salmon like fish have been spotted. although i doubt this they probably are some huge unknown species of fish ,also other species like Wels can get huge and may live to hundred or more years of age.

There has been reports of the monster of Mer eating birds etc, and it has been identified as a Euro Wels 8 feet in length the lake is only 17 acres in size.

Several lakes around Germany and other Euro countries have even warning signs to tell people not to allow their dog or pet to go in the lake many have been eaten by giant Wels.

Another lake in Germany had reports of a dog eating monster and it was true, it ended up being a mid sized Wels catfish.

Recently bathers in a small lake in germany were attcked by a giant wels catfish no bathers were eaten lol, this story is true and actually several people got attacked by a large wels ,at that time of  year it was mating season and possibly they get aggressive

Lake Windermere in England, this beast is known locally as Eachy

Lake Windermere is the biggest lake in England and sightings are most likely of  a giant Wels catfish or a giant Eunuch eel ,several sightings recently has poked interest in this lake.

 I simply think anyone with time and a 2 to 5 pound dead or live course fish of some sort  with 100 to 200 pound low stretch gorilla braid like fishing line and a 4 lb test curve rod for ultra light or a saltwater rod  rigged for sharks, marlin and  larger game fish , if you left it in known Wels haunts in the lake, I am sure you might get the old jaws bite eventually, heavy 5/0  to 15/0 or higher hooks made for sharks and time is all you need to prove the lake monster which I am sure is nothing more then a oversized giant Wels cat or possibly eel or slimly a sturgeon.

 

Wels can at least attain lengths of 15 feet and are known to attack large birds on the surface , even peoples dogs in some areas as mentioned above are not safe, a technique called clonking used to attract giant catfish imitates large prey on the surface by noise as mentioned.

One recent over 3 meter Giant wels catfish was found dead with a huge socker ball in it's mouth the poor beast sufficated to death it was found in a river in germany, here is  some monster  wels catfish recorded in commercial catches  or found dead etc.

 

 Old reports of commercial fisherman in Ukraine and Russia and some other areas reported Wels catfish to thousand pounds in weight or more ,maybe the Mighty Volga with those new big giant crabs may make new easy chow for giant Wels and similar huge species that could crush them?

326 lb 5 oz Kardzhali Reservoir Bulgaria, 427 kilo Romania, lake unknown 17th century,    809 lb 2 oz Dnyepr River Ukraine  149 kilo Danube delta date unknown,    396 lb 13 oz Danube Delta Romania ,   1102 lb 5 oz Danube Delta  in Romania  ,  1102 lbs 5 oz Syrdaya River Kazakhstan ,952 lb 6 oz Amu daya River Uzbekistan, 427 kilo Amudaya river, another monsterous beast over 400 kilos was chopped up  in germany ,date and lake unknown,  Volga river 500 kilos 1800s ,  900 lb Maritsa River Greece  454 kilos Marista River greece date unknown,     882 lb Danube River Croatia, 881 lb 14 oz this beast was captured in the tributaries of the Black and Caspian Sea , 800 lbs1 lb 14 oz captured in the Oder River in  Germany early 1830  ,  510 kg Volga river late 1800, 490 kilogram volga river  1820s, there is many more of these records out there and I am sure  many of these are accurate and true.
     
Since the 1960s I have collected tales of giant catfish and other huge fish and many of them were found in lakes and rivers that they were not supposed to be in , in fact many of  them have been stories of Wels catfish being found in small streams in England and other European countries and some with no freshwater source that it could of come from which gave me the conclusion that possibly some species of catfish and possibly rays and sharks even may use freshwater and saltwater back and forth much more then is known with the large amount of findings of dead or live sharks and other odd marine species in freshwater.

As a for instance  a green shark or simmilar species was captured in the river tweed in the 17th centuary, and many many miles from it's original normal habitat and was surviving in the freshwater. it was captured in 1757  and was near 6 feet long.

I have collected many records of odd species showing up in odd places and this shows sharks have been recorded doing this for centuries  and Wels and other species probably as well.

Also odd reports from commercial catches of freshwater Wels being caught in a saltwater to brackish environment, this is why I have not much of a issue with the idea of some large fish occasionally leaving freshwater bodies of  water and being able to follow coast lines and get up other river systems streams etc

This theory I first put on the Internet in 1998  ,I have subscribed to this idea for over several decades because of collecting odd reports of  catfish, sharks and other odd species being found in streams ditches and other odd locations that are not connected to freshwater or in some cases have been ,however also  some  did poor in to brackish or saltwater and therefore they had to of came from the saltwater?

 I suspected that possibly large catfish and other species may be able to tolerate more saltwater then is known and could possibly explain some lake monster reports.

I was told that no species of catfish can do this by several so called experts and now they have discovered recently that Chinese giant Mekong catfish use saltwater and migrate from and to the ocean, this proves that at least this species can do this as well as another reported species recently has been found in fresh and saltwater and who knows maybe others can and some of these stories could be giant Wels that leave the Volga or other rivers and get in to the ocean and follow coast lines and make it in to a river system and then get in to a lake, it could be possible.

 

Sharks  

Could a unknown or known species of shark be responsible for some sightings?

Many experts claim sharks cannot fully live in freshwater, it seems this may not be true fully ,although bull sharks are well documented as being able to stay in freshwater do to a ability they have to regulate  to the salts and can breath in a freshwater environment ,numerous stories over the years and even a few films on u tube show sharks being filmed in freshwater lakes and are not fraud films, this shows that other species besides bull sharks can and have been found in freshwater and may have unknown abilities to adapt to the change in salinity?

 I have read reports of sharks in the Volga and many other rivers being caught or found dead etc that were not bull sharks..

Sharks have been known to get in fresh water and some are landlocked in freshwater year round and can attain large size, there have been reports of shark fins being spotted in Lake Ontario, sharks had been found dead in River des Prairies in Montreal,also in the St Lawrence River and witnessed in Lake Superior more on that below. 

Sharks attacks freshwater,,there is a somewhat well documented case of a bull shark attacking a person and killing him in Lake Superior, freshwater sharks are known in actually a fair amount of areas, many lakes in the US have had sharks captured in them ,one even in a well publicized fishing tournament in Texas a man caught a 25 pound shark, it was captured with a plastic worm.

Recently a huge Mako shark was reported seen in the Delaware river.

Another shark reported to be a Great white was filmed in a swamp in Massachusetts, the shark is real and the film is awesome you can find it on U tube ,however it may also have been a bull shark, it looks like a whitey however the fin seems in one shot not likely to be a white, the status of this film this moment is unknown and not enough for my satisfaction shows one hundred percent which species it is, although maybe it has already been identified, i have not seen any new news about it.

Some freshwater species like the ultra rare Gangias river shark was thought probably extinct until in the mid 90s when one was captured.

Freshwater sharks are known in several lakes in Africa and rivers, bull sharks have been captured in many freshwater rivers in the US over the years of course not thousands ,although a fair amount enough to show that species of sharks can live in freshwater for long periods of time or in some cases even reproduce others like lemon sharks and several other species have been found in freshwater, if that film is really a great white then this proves they can adapt to the freshwater and not die, great whites are not known to have the ability to do this like bull sharks and some other species.

New freshwater sharks have been discovered in Australia  in some freshwater rivers and lakes,one young man fishes off his apartment balcony and catches sharks in the canal in his back yard that is many miles inland from reports and he catches many sharks  in these brackish backwaters ,even some over 6 feet ,several other bodies of fresh and brackish water have sharks as well in other countries.

Different sizes within same family order.

GIANT EELS

 

There has been giant elver eels found in the Sargasso Sea that were 5 feet long, if they kept growing at that rate they would make a good candidate for lake monsters?,I think that this is another very plausible explanation for some water monster sightings that some species of "Giant EEL" may exist unknown to science, some of these elver eels are claimed to be another species that develops not much larger then in its infant state however some have been found that have not been identifed as such, more about EELS below.

Another reason I think the eel theory is probable and likely real and first let me say I am not by any means the first person to think eels of giant size could be the answer, however because of my background interest in fish I also know allot about their habits of feeding by catching them and observing them and I clearly see from hands on evidence this is plausible and i have favored this theory for many decades.

I find it very odd that there is only two species of common eel ,the European and the American that hit ours and European shores that are true eels,several sightings of 10 to  15 feet long eels have been recorded heading  in the direction of North America that did not look like moray eels or congors and looked like a giant version of a typical American eel.

There is also a eel in New Zealand that gets over 6 feet long and similar relatives and looking species, however none of these can attain the reported size of monsters often reported.

Most species families have many kinds from small to large variates as a for instance.

You will notice in most families there are small to large species within the family as a for instance the Esox family, tiny red fin pickerel and grass pickerel,they both grow a foot in length roughly on average at most.

Chain pickerel the next sized up Esox species, this one grows to around 10 pounds, then you have Amur pike reported to be roughly over 40 pounds or so , usually much smaller on average ,they have a limited region in the east of Europe-Asia, they are not in North America, then Northern pike have been reported from Ireland as high as 100 lbs of weight

One captured in the river Rhine was over 90 pounds,with proof of fish over 60 pounds, North American pike grow smaller because of lack of proper larger fattening food source once they get a certain size.

In Europe Pike grow much larger on average because of the availability of large minnow like species to catch with minimum effort and maximum weight advantage, large fish do not exert energy and that is how they become large ,they pick easy prey that maximizes their weight ,our fish once over 15 to 20 pounds in many waters cannot find a suitable prey that it does not have to exert energy and therefore maximum weight is not achieved.

The largest excepted member of the Esox family the Muskie, many tales of 70 to 80 pound fish exist however the largest excepted was a 65 pound one taken in Georgian bay area .

Numerous reports that there is fish of this size in the St Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers as well as Lake of the Woods has reports from years ago of massive fish, there was a Giant albino one reported for years in the Trent river system, I think it was supposed to be over 7 feet long,you can clearly see as already now that the members of the same Esox family all look similar and yet sizes vary a large amount as in with most species ,since this is the case then likely you would expect large versions of other species such as eels in freshwater.

Ancient eel like creature .

This creature is listed in a real animal works book called” Historia naturalist “,it was written by plinius , it was published in 71 Ad and very similar to our animal encyclopedias of today  ,this one did have some odd things in the writings it was just they way they describe some things,never the less this creature has been seen before by others and likely this one was real , the book described other animals in proper form so why would they not about this animal .

This creature above described by plinius , the story telling of this giant sea monster, attacking a ship and eating  some of the crew , this creature looks exactly like a giant eel or eunuch eel type animal or fish ,this creature considering it was in a animal book and excepted as fact at the time and witnessed by  fair amount of people and was likely true,why  would he make them up? animals that do not exist when the rest of the book is correct?  Is this creature the same that goes in to some lakes in North America some giant species of eel or similar species?

 

If one species of eel or similar type fish could get to 30 or 40 feet, it would then be a good explanation for most of the serpent variety sightings , eels can travel over small areas of land to get in to another body of water at night , if the grass is moist or flooded it would be easy for them to do so, this would fit the profile in many ways ,as you may know by reading other articles on the subject that many lakes have sightings from time to time.

If you had a animal such as a giant eel, it then could come and go when ever it likes ,it could get up smaller rivers and then cross areas at night and get in to large bodies of water and then stay in them full time if suitable and monster sightings start to occur, also eels are known in the day to often burro in mud  and maybe this is how they are not spotted often with sonar, in Lochness as a for instance often no sonar recordings occur if they were a giant eel or similar creature then this could explain that.

Could a giant form of eels like my buddy here exist?

 

 

Another slim possibility some Oarfish to ribbonfish like species, many sightings of eels have hair like substance on the head or neck and head area and sometimes some odd crest or small sheep like horns or horn.

However unlikely maybe a another giant form of a ribbon fish exists that can traverse in to freshwater?

In fact some descriptions of lake monsters especially in Europe sound exactly like a Oarfish which can reach up to 60 feet, or possibly a unknown species of freshwater Oarfish?

In China recently this photograph of a so called freshwater dragon circulating around the net, it looks to me like a known or unknown form of Oarfish although I do not know the state of the condition of the fish or how old it was when they found it.

The fishes condition could be the skin was in rotting state and may not be the correct color although the photo does not indicate massive decomposing.

It matches oarfish exactly ,although this one is a white with a odd silvery like color and slightly different looking then typical Oarfish I have witnessed, although I am not a worlds authority on this species and it may possibly just be a small oarfish in a slight rotting state?

Although the photo does not show this enough one way or the other to be positive so I will sit on the fence lol, that is what it looks like to me anyhow and if it was truly caught in freshwater then another theory I believe in has some merit to it  .

If you think about it? It is not unfathomable for a fish to have a relative in saltwater or fresh, for instance ling cod.

 

They are a freshwater landlocked cod, and are almost never caught by people in the open water season, however the author discovered in the 70s by jigging in deep cool water holes in rivers and deep holes in lakes, you can catch these fish even in summer months and night time is best for action and still to this date all articles you see on this species which is very low to say the least suggest they cannot be caught  except in the coldwater periods.

 I know this to be  pure nonsence and I have caught several hundred over the years fishing for them in summer I mostly did that in the 70s and 80s I rarelty fish for the species now a days however when i have the same methods work.

If you fish in deep cool water holes in rivers especialy that have good populations of them then you will catch them in the warmer months in these deep holes with cooler water tempreture ,although not as fast as winter months they still can be caught and do feed year around.

Many variates exist of different fish species that have freshwater variates and considering how rare Oarfish are and how elusive they are, if a freshwater version or a fish that has osmoregulating abilities version existed?

In Ireland many stories of  water kelpies like my buddy above are from small lakes and are often described like a giant eel with a horse like head, sightings keep coming and what better explanation could you find that some unknown species of eel like creature could be doing this around the world.

Some eels have been known not to return to the ocean ,they are called Eunuchs , they will just keep growing and getting bigger and bigger and longer, there was one in a canal  found dead over in Europe and it was reported to be 21 feet long, if even one of these stories could be fully proven or others that have huge eels reported if true then this could solve many sightings.

I have never seen a photo of  a north american or european eel over 6 feet to this date and some day if  i can find a 10 foot or more speciman then this by far would prove that in some cases a giant eel is the answer to the question?

 I cannot find any evidence of one any where with a photo on the planet over 6 feet ,if anyone witnessed a photo over 6 feet and has it or knows were it can be found please contact the author?

The most famous story of the Ottawa river monster was of a huge eel that attacked these two French fisherman in the Lac Deshenes area of the Ottawa river, this may have indeed if true been a giant eunuch eel, I have heard stories of 5 feet + long eels that have been captured or hooked or seen dead in the Ottawa river, they may be exaggeration on the other hand may be not?

I know  I have personally have captured and witnessed a photo of one well over 4 feet  , it could be possible and maybe what those French fisherman really seen was  one of these rare eunuchs?

 

 

 

 

 

Giant eels have been reported in lakes and rivers in New Zealand, lakes like Lake Karipiro reported to have 10 to 20 foot eels that have been witnessed by several people including one that was maybe 15 or more feet in length that was witnessed in a flooded stream up in thick forest region, no main body of water was near by and another similar sized one was witnessed in a stream that is near lake kariporo ,I do not know if it enters it or not?

This shows that the eel theory of traveling through ditches and flooded streams has good merit, in this case it clearly shows a giant eel using this theoretical behavior they may have.

There is supposed to be footage of a 21 foot eel found dead on a beach I cannot find this footage?

Recently in lake champlain two fisherman filmed and photgraphed a large eel like creature and it seems likely authentic. also another film from ness clearly shows a huge eel like creature both can be found on you tube.

Hooking Giant EELS

Over my life time I have heard of many tales of people being pulled around for hours  by a giant fish and some of them said it fought like a giant eel twistingand tugging on the line, one story from lake superior about a man capturing in a net a 30 foot eel to bad not on a rod reel , sturgeon can fight odd however not like this ,unless maybe snagged and it makes me wonder if some of these tales of  being pulled around  or breaking rods in peaces could be true and caused by a giant eel.

If you think about it?

How could someone land a 30 foot eel with 10 or 20 pound line, it highly likely would break or the hook would have to be what you would use for huge predator sharks to even have a chance of the hook not bending open and since no normal freshwater fisherman would be using hooks like this then you can see why they are not caught.

If they exist ?This would explain why none have been caught  ,netting is not normally done in most freshwater regions of North America  or any were by that matter except large bodies of water usually and it is likely they could escape detection.

In Georgia reports of a giant eel like creature reported  in the Ultimaha river ,this river has a canal like systems that go in to the ocean and there could be some truth to this creature, it sounds like it could be a giant eel or or fish of some eel like body and habits or possibly lizard or snake ,this animal is reported from 10 to over 30 feet .

Giant eels have been reported found dead in several lakes were locals claim giant eels exist, I will list them in my world wide cryptid section ,one report recently had a fish farm in Australia being attacked by some giant eel they said was 12 to 15 feet long or more.

Below are some other species that could in some cases be the cause of numerous monster reports around the World if got off course and in to another body of water.

Giant Catfish species such as the Mekong River Catfish, which is in bad danger of extinction and considered  to be the largest catfish, however most agree that Wels can get bigger, reports from some places in South America of huge catfish that pull down massive logs that they use to catch these beasts.

The rope that has a large hook attached and a 5 pound fish for bait is wrapped around the log, what happens is the fish bites the big bait and it starts to run with it ,the line then spools of the trunk because the fish is making it revolve then once no line is left the catfish will hook itself with the pressure of the giant Float like log and then it will struggle pulling it around and then it finally drowns and the fisherman rows out and gets it, the whole log some times will be actually pulled underwater, the logs in some cases have never came up.

There may be some catfish in the amazon that can rival or surpass the size of Wels, that region is not fully known  and also tales of known and unknown huge catfish in Africa, recently Larry dalberg of fishing fame landed a huge monster catfish in  south america over 400 pounds according to reports none had ever been captured this large before by researchers on a rod and reel older records shows this species up to 1322 lb 12 oz capturd in the Orinoco River system, Amazon River system Venezuela, Brazil  also a 698 lb 14 oz Orinoco River system, Amazon River system.

This specimen is much larger then researchers thought, natives claim it gets much  larger and older records seem to verify this then what he caught,  way to go Larry and what a fish and probably one of the largest catfish ever caught on a rod and reel ,however they are not known to be as large as ones like European Wels at least in the old days specimens, except for a few older mentions and may rival thier size, several other odd reports of giant cats from different areas from a small lake in BC to Australia.

One tale from Lake Cassien in France told of this man fishing and hooked in to some gigantic fish that towed the people in the boat around all night and finally broke off the line, the only likely fish from that region to be that big and strong had to been a giant Wels maybe 400 to 1000 pounds or more ,many 200 to a few 400 lb+ Wels have been landed in less then 2 hours with commercial fishing setups or rod and reel.

What ever this was, then it had to of  been of  very large size to do what it did and as a special bonus , if you want to go search for the lake Cassien monster be very aware of the countless topless women  along the banks of  this free wheeling area and  as well if your lucky maybe the monster you might see as well lol,.

This is the only tale I have ever heard about in this lake of a large unidentified fish or animal or what ever it was  no one knows, locals they even wave at boaters as they go buy,you might not see a monster however the side views may be more entertaining ,anyhow check local regulations they may be changed.

I would not doubt some huge species in the old Mid eastern countries as well may be of large size and unknown to western science,  much more research needs to be done in this area of the fish, mammals ,birds and other species. Several sightings and stories of  large dead eels or live have been reported in other areas as well besides New Zealand, Ireland ,North America ,Britain and several other European countries.

Giant Paddlefish, could there be a species unknown to science of Paddlefish that gets larger then a known giant form?