Posted on 08/19/2005 3:56:36 AM PDT by Cowman
Vermonters Wonder What They Saw in Lake
CHARLOTTE, Vt. (AP) -- Two Vermonters fishing for salmon last month just beyond the mouth of the Ausable River on the New York side of the lake saw ripples on the smooth surface.
Later, when they saw it again, Dick Affolter and Pete Bodette, Affolter's 34-year-old stepson, used a digital camera to take pictures and video.
"We saw something on that lake we've never seen before," said Bodette. "Is what we saw the same thing other people saw, and they called Champ? I don't know."
Champ is the name that has been given through the years to a serpentine-type animal that some believe hides in the depths of the lake, although there's never been any irrefutable evidence.
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The two seasoned anglers could not identify what species of fish it might have been, one they estimated to be 15 feet long that was breaking the surface where the lake is close to 200 feet deep.
The Burlington Free Press, which has reviewed the digital recordings, reported "they clearly show something of significant size moving just under the surface. It does not appear to be a boat wake or a school of fish or cormorants. In one frame it almost looks as if the head of an alligator-like animal breaks the surface, the setting sun reflecting off what could be an eye."
The modern legend of the lake creature known as Champ dates back to 1609 when French explorer Samuel de Champlain described a fish with "dangerous teeth" that the native peoples said grew to 10 feet long.
Strange sightings on the lake can be written off as a number of unusual natural phenomena - from large lake sturgeon basking on the surface, to a school of large fish chasing bait, to a family of otters swimming. Yet throughout the years, hundreds of people claim to have spotted the mythical Champ.
Steve Smith, director of facilities at ECHO at the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, has seen Bodette's and Affolter's digital images.
"I don't know what it is," Smith said. "The majority of the video is very indiscernible. In one frame, he seems to feel there's an eye coming out of the water, but to me, I thought I was looking at an otter's nose. I've never seen anything that definitively proves the existence of Champ, and that video doesn't, either."
Pete better get down to the Motel 6 and make sure Tom left the light on.
Could this be another Helen Thomas sighting?
LOL!
Cindy Shehaan got lost....
it was just jumpin' jim taking his mask off
Sounds like a sturgeon to me.
You know the Vermont economy is doing poorly when someone dreams up a Loch Ness story to attract nutcase tourists.
Champ isn't as scary as that other Vermont creature...Howie
Can't sturgeon grow to the size of a small submarine?
Dan
I have spent some time on the lake (grew up near where this happened) and know it's very possible there is something unknown in the lake. It's very deep, very long, quite wide, and VERY COLD! The debate on "Champy" will continue until something washes up or is caught, either physically or on tape, in a way that cannot be disputed scientifically or otherwise...
My father-in-law tells similar stories of swimming in Washington state, I think the Columbia River. I think "small submarine" is his expression.
Dan
From Minnesota
The heaviest lake sturgeon ever substantiated was caught by commercial fishermen in Batchawana Bay in eastern Lake Superior. The fish weighed 310 pounds.
Look at this... WOW! From Fine Fishing:
A huge sturgeon was reported from the Fraser River in British Columbia some 50 years ago. It measured almost 20 feet in length, was nearly a century old and strained the scales to 1,832 pounds.
Here's a good story from ESPN.
They can get huge and old. Their 'heritage' dates back to the dino days. On Black and Burt lakes in the lower peninsula of Michigan, it's not unusual to see a tow truck winching a sturgeon out during winter spearing season. They are not meat eaters. If you want some fun go for a Muskie--they'll take off a few fingers with ease.
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