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Champ Sighting! (That Wasn't)

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2022 9:18 am
by Detritus
I feel bad I haven't been contributing to the reports on here much in quite a while. But, we've really been just doing the High School fishing thing, and no Cold Water. But, I thought I'd share this little interesting thing from yesterday.

I had two kids out on the lake last night for practice, and we were giving smallmouth a try all around the tip of split rock point since the conditions allowed it, and we hadn't ever fished there before. It's hard for us to pull ourselves away from our favorite fishing spots to try a totally unknown area, for fear of the skunks. But, we've tried some brand new spots the last two years in the High School season, because, we're on the water about 30 trips over the course of these two months. It kind of gives us a chance to run here or there, and give it a shot. I tell you what, it has really paid off for us as well.

Well, as we were fishing the northern most tip last night in flat calm conditions (that's when you always see champ), we saw a stick floating in the water, maybe a hundred yards away. Whatever. But,as I watched, the stick seemed to be moving through the water. I brought it up to the boys with me, and said "What is that guys?". The two boys with me however, we're Liam and Felipe, very possibly the two on the team most focused on fishing, and didn't care about the magical stick floating way too fast north west across the broad lake. And changing course. Felipe suggested it was just a fish with a hook in it's mouth that probably got caught on a stick, an kept casting. Liam just said "I don't know" -and kept casting. In the rain here by the way.

While I was proud to have a couple of student anglers with such an unkillable drive to fish, on Sunday night in these conditions, I said "Well come on guys, you don't want to go over there and see why that stick appears to be navigating a course all on it own, heading out to the broad lake? Well, I'm going over there".

I pointed the trolling motor towards the stick, and started heading over, expecting it to just disappear below the surface, how almost all strange marine unknown animals do. It didn't however. In fact, it did a 180, and headed back towards the point. We got close, and saw what it was.

A Gray Squirrel.

Re: Champ Sighting! (That Wasn't)

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2022 10:56 am
by Tire Jockey
I saw one swimming across converse bay a couple of years ago.

Re: Champ Sighting! (That Wasn't)

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2022 11:29 am
by Crayfish
That's funny! Good thing you turned him around. He was heading for the abyss!

Re: Champ Sighting! (That Wasn't)

Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2022 10:41 pm
by ATLSALMON
I have seen them many times swimming across the lakes here in the Finger Lakes the best though was one day down by my parents place near Monksville Réservoir in New Jersey when one got taken by a muskie

Re: Champ Sighting! (That Wasn't)

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 12:21 pm
by Detritus
Well, maybe this is becoming a thing. I just saw another one about a hundred feet off shore down near Westport last night.

Re: Champ Sighting! (That Wasn't)

Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2022 12:34 pm
by striper192001
Great story !

Re: Champ Sighting! (That Wasn't)

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 6:59 pm
by Papatom
Saw a dead black squirl floating around north shore Westport about 3 weeks ago. A few eagles in that area too.

Re: Champ Sighting! (That Wasn't)

Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2022 12:01 pm
by Controlled chaos
I had to share!