Lake monsters in Wisconsin

[khel]

http://www.w-files.com/thelake.html rofl

Looks like lakes Monona and Mendota are quite popular with monsters. So, Jon, tell the truth, have you seen any?

 

[land shark]

When I was a kid the Gar fish got pretty good sized and on a calm day would swim side by side often looking like a big serpent but were really just a couple of Gar lookin for diner. One of the big reasons I took up snorkel diving as a kid.
Also the DNR used to net carp, the kids were allowed on the barge to help seine out the game fish from the carp. the Stories I could tell about huge fish that went back! In the spring Dead fish that died naturally over the winter would wash up on the prevailing wind side of the lake. [Olbrech park] A few times some awful huge game fish would float in that would boggle the mind. There is a population of Stergon in the Lakes but I heard these may be a result of a stocking progam from the early 40's Though a small Population the are nearing a pretty good size. If they exisited before that time they certainly would have been mistaken for logs. I also witnessed a 35+lb Dogfish caught in lake Waubesa to bad the guys never checked the record books. talk about the head of a snake!

 

[wet]

While living neat Shawano, WI, I heard a few stories of the Lake Shawano monster, but I never saw it.

Has anyone dived Rock Lake at Lake Mills in Jefferson County, WI? I'm guessing the underwater pyramids (or stone teepees) there are actually glacial morraines (rubble depositied by glaciers), rather than man-made.

Here's a site that claims copper was traded from there to Europe and Africa thousands of years ago, I don't think I buy that, but I never dove it either.

Rock Lake Research Society - History - Dedicated to preserving the underwater structures at Rock Lake.

DDeden

 

[Jon]

Biggest thing I've seen in the local lakes was a 6' long sturgeon- I'm 5'10" and it was bigger than me! Sturgeon are the biggest things going around here but there are some monster sized gar fish in them as well. Most of the ones I've seen while diving aren't that large, but Ted showed me some pictures of what the find when they 'shock' the lake during their fish counts and they get to be pretty big.

I've dove the pyramids before and they aren't all that impressive. Mostly looks like a couple of rock bars on the bottom coming out of the silt. I guess the big mystery about them is the bonding agent that holds the rocks together is of a different age than the rest of the area- or so I was told.

Rock lake is still a nice lake for spearing in the spring time.

Shawno lake is fairly clear from what I remember. When I wa growing up my grandparents had a cottage just north of there and we drove past the lake every time we went up. There are some other nice lakes in that area for diving and most of them you can spear in.

Here's the 'monster' that I saw today in Lake Monona.

Jon

 

[Fondueset]

http://photos.imageevent.com/blueroom/lakemichiganfreediving/Bowfin.wmv

 

[Pinggene]

I've never seen any "monsters" in any waters of Wisconsin, but I've seen quite a few nicer sized fish.

We are planning on doing the "Carp-Spear-O-Rama" April 21, 2007 at Rock Lake. Perhaps, someone will try the Pyramid Structure to see if they hold any fish!

Gene

 

[Fondueset]

Nice shot, jon!

 

[Jon]

Pyramids are all sitting at 55' n the silt. That means they are far below the thermocline and no weeds anywhere near them. As a result there's no fish anywhere to be seen where they are at.

There are a number of fish cribs in the lake as well as some nice weed beds there. Bottom of the lake is made out of a silty kinf of marl that can really mess with vis. Of course the whole lake is nothing but a dammed up river so vis isn't the best unless you go ealr in the season or under the ice.

Jon

 

[wet]

"May the carp be with you" at Rock Lake as you soar above the pyramids like the falcons soaring above the pyramids of Egypt.

Here's info. about the geologic explanation for the pyramids:
The Hall of Maat :: The Hall of Ma'at :: The Aztalan & Rock Lake Underwater Moulin Kames ???

DDeden

 

[bglaeser]

Jon.......... What lake did you see the 6' sturgeon in? How big can Lake Michigan sturgeon get? I think I might get a bit freaked out by a six footer!

~Brian

 

[Fondueset]

Aye - they be brain feeders too!

 

[Whopperhead]

Speaking of Lake Monsters- About 7 years ago they caught a 9lb Piranha in the Columbia County power plant lake(pond). They only caught one- who knows how many and how big they are now. 9lb piranha!

 

[Jon]

I think that Ted ran into this monster last summer.rofl


Jon

 

[Whopperhead]

Check out this MONSTER! Rock Lake (Lake Mills, WI) 4-21-07

------------Scott

 

[kale]

I had the pleasure of visiting Wisconsin with my cheesehead gf last summer. It was great! I didn't spear but I freedove in some of the inland lakes and freedove and scuba in lake superior Wisc. and Minn. I went to some cool wrecks and did some deep dives and I even saw a lake monster.
I was in about 15ft of water grabbing some bass lures out of some old logs and trying to lure in the bass and panfish that were all around. All of the sudden the fish that surrounding me all scattered. My senses went on high alert. In the placid clear water I could hear the crunching of tree limbs coming from the depths. I turned to see if it was my lady making all the racket, but she was just floating motionless on the surface in her own little world.The crunching got louder and more fish zipped by me. Then the monster appeared, cruising along the bottom. It was the biggest damn turtle I've ever seen. It was big and strong enough that even after I got a good grip on it I couldn't get it to the surface, it actually towed me along the bottom( I wasn't wearing fins). I would conservatively guess this turtle at 60+lbs. I didn't want it to get hurt and I sure as heck didn't want it to bite me so I let it go. Back at the family get together they told me I should have caught it and we'd a had turtle soup! They also said they'd seen 'em bite through a broomstick! I can't wait to go back to Wisconsin!:inlove
Kale

 

[monterey jak]

You guys had better watch out. I went to a Wisconsin lake last weekend. I managed to get a picture of it.

 

[land shark]

yep soft shelled turtles used to be favorite of the natives

 

[naiad]

Biggest thing I've seen in the local lakes was a 6' long sturgeon- I'm 5'10" and it was bigger than me!

That is a big sturgeon - the biggest I have seen have been pet ones, about 1-2'. They have a very strange mouth - when it is closed it is like a shark, but it opens into a toothless tube which points down and vacuums in its prey. I wonder what the big ones eat - probably too big to live on worms and insects, but not fast enough to hunt for fish, and no teeth to catch them. Maybe crayfish and mussels?

I wonder if the Loch Ness monster is in fact a huge lake sturgeon. They often swim vertically with the curved nose pointing out of the water, looking like the classic picture of the Loch Ness monster. They also swim along the surface with the top half of the tail above the water, and the humps along the back showing.

 

[Whopperhead]

I have Pic of a 6' sturgeon from Lake Monona- I took this pic a couple of weeks ago- It was pretty cool, I tried to keep up with it and get another picture, but it was pretty fast.

-------Scott

 

[stuckinsurrey]

They fish for huge sturgeon in Canada, quite fancied a trip to have a go. Apparently they leap out the water wich must be quite a sight!