Please Don't Feed the Alligators

10 foot gator

 

There is an old spring-fed swimming hole in a small Central Florida town, where the older teens of Cabbage Palm swing out over the water on a rope tied to a big oak tree. The water is a cool 78 degrees year ‘round, so when August comes, the spring is alive with young people trying to keep cool. The leaders of this pack of swimmers are Greg, an 18-year-old with 7 weeks left until he leaves for bootcamp and his girlfriend Amanda.  

Being Florida born and bred these kids pay no mind to Chucky, the 7-foot 600-pound gator that lives in the cool spring. Most gators prefer warmer water, but Chucky stays on the bank much of the day and goes into the water to feed or cool off. He keeps his distance from the kids swimming and they never approach or feed him.

A new family moves into the area, the Manns They are from the mid west and have two daughters, Stacy 14 and Joanne 17.

On a hot July afternoon and the spring is full of swimmers, when they see Mr. Mann feeding Chucky.
“Hey! Don’t feed him!” They yell.

Their pleas are ignored. So, Greg gets out of the water and makes his way to Mr. Mann and says,

“You can’t feed him, it’s dangerous and against the law.”

“Kid you don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Yes I do. I live here and this is our place to swim. If you feed him, he will lose his natural fear of humans.”

“Go home kid. I live here too, and I’ll do whatever I want. Now get out of here!”

Turning around Greg walks away, cussing under his breath until he reaches Amanda and tells her what happened. She says, “You should call the Sheriff.”

“I’m no snitch.”

“Then I’ll call them.”

“911 what is your emergency?”

“My name is Amanda Crawford, there is a man feeding the gators at Clear Spring.”

Twenty minutes later a Florida Game Warden arrives. He talks to Amanda and the others, then goes and talks to Mr. Mann. He writes Mr. Mann a citation for unlawfully feeding alligators, and reinforces what happens to gators when they are fed.

“Mr. Mann, gators have bite force of 5,000 pounds per square inch. It can kill you or any one else it wants to. If that gator gets aggressive we will have to kill it, and that will be on your head. Do you understand”

“Yes, I do.”

“Good. I don’t want to be called back out here again. Do you understand that?”

“Yes.”

July turns in to August, Stacy and Joanne become part of the group that enjoys a nice cool swim in the sweltering heat of a Central Florida summer day.

Chucky has changed. He stays closer to the swimmers, but no one has seen Joanne’s father feeding him. On this day Chucky swims within three feet of Amanda, before Greg yells and causes a commotion near him and he sinks into the crystal clear water and swims away as they watch.

“I think we need to report Chucky and have him relocated.”

“Oh, Greg he hasn’t hurt anyone.”

“But Mandy, he is coming closer every day. He’s becoming dangerous. Mann must still be feeding him.”

In the afternoon heat the next day, Greg and Amanda are the only ones at the spring, when Joanne walks up.

“Hi Guys.”

“Hey Jo, what’s up?”

 “Hi Joanne. I like that yellow sundress.”

“Thanks Mandy. How come you guys aren’t swimming?”

Greg says, “Chucky is getting mean. Is your dad still feeding him?”

“No! The last time it cost him $1500.00. And the judge said if he did it again, he would get the full $5000.00 fine and up to five years in jail.”

“All I know is that Chucky has changed.”

“I don’t know about that Greg, but it’s super hot and I’m going for a swim.” Stepping out of
her sundress Joanne reveals her new bikini that came with the dress. She runs, grabs the rope, swings out, lets go does a mid-air somersault and lands with a big splash. Joanne comes up for air with a smile on her face, then screams as she is pulled under. Seeing her in the jaws of Chucky, Greg jumps in to try and save her as a trembling Amanda frantically calls 911.

Later in the dusk of the day, a diver finds Joanne’s body stuffed under a log in 12 feet of water. A .22 magnum from a game wardens rifle found its way into Chucky’s head.

After the necropsy was completed on Chucky where they found raw chicken and other table scraps in his belly, a still grieving Mr. Mann is taken into custody for feeding the alligator and ultimately causing the death of his oldest daughter.

Red Tide 2018

Sarasota county gov.

 

 

 

 

The South West Florida coast is under siege from the worst red tide in recent memory. This latest bloom of red tide started in December 2017, but it wasn’t too bad. A few dead fish around and the odor was nonexistent. Fast forward to May 2018, reports of fish kills up and down the coast. Well okay. It’s that time of year, this is normal. Or is it? I grew up on these waters and this is the worst bloom I’ve ever seen.

1.    What is red tide?

Red tide is a harmful algal bloom (HAB). Dinoflagellates are microscopic plants that emit toxins. These toxins can kill marine life. www.oceanservice.noaa.gov

 

no swimming

 

 

 

 

 

2.    Does the brown water release from Lake Okeechobee have anything to do with how bad the red tide is this year? Or is this a natural occurrence?

www.sunshinestatenews.com reports that this, the release of water from the big lake is a widely believed myth. A 2012 study of the red tide season states that “circulation on the west Florida continental shelf is highly dependent on the Gulf of Mexico loop current.”

 

On the other hand, www.nbc-2.com in an August 1, 2013 story reports that approximately 75,000 gallons of brown water is released into the gulf from Lake Okeechobee is full of “dead plants, fertilizer and increased nutrients.” Rick Bartleson of the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation said while “The water isn’t toxic…in the future it could bring an unwanted guest. A red tide bloom.” The question remains, does the brown water release form Okeechobee increase the red tide bloom? We may never know for sure, but one thing we do know is that the pollution comes from run off from Big Sugar into the lake. But that’s another story.

 

3.    What has red tide killed this year?

Let’s start with thousands of fish from Tampa south to Naples. That’s over 160 miles of shore line. Red tide has killed game fish such as redfish, trout, snook, tarpon and countless other species. Snook seem to have been hit especially hard this year. With dozens of breeding size snook washed up on Boca Grande beaches. Among its victims are goliath grouper. As their name suggest, these are giant fish that can weigh over 300 pounds and live for decades. Along with fish the number of crustaceans killed by this bloom is vast, blue crabs, horseshoe crabs and shrimp to name just a few.

local fish kill

While this is bad, what really pulls at the heartstrings of locals and tourist alike are the dolphin, manatee and sea turtles that have washed ashore. These creatures are so loved that there are boat tours just so people can catch a glimpse of them. On August 1^st on a sandbar in Lemon Bay a paralyzed manatee was spotted, rescued and transported to Sea World only to die the next day. It is also sea turtle hatch season. On average only ten percent of hatchlings survive, how much lower will the survive rate be with the red tide? By far the biggest casualty of this year’s tide is a whale shark that washed up on Sanibel Island.

 

4.    What can be done about red tide?

There are no concrete solutions because red tide is a natural phenomenon nothing can really be done at this time. There are several theories on how to combat the dinoflagellate bloom, from restoring the everglades to tracking the bloom and putting out warnings.

 

5.    What is the possible economic impact on the South West Florida coast?

Just in my home town of Englewood the beaches are empty and so are the rental homes and condos along Beach Road. Red tide is not only having a major financial impact on realtors, but also on the bait shops, restaurants, boat rentals and more. One convenience store manager near the beach told me that their day shift is off by $8,000 a day and that’s just one store. Up and down the coast the potential cost of the 2018 red tide to the state of Florida and its residents can be as high as 87.6 billion dollars. www.captainsforcleanwater.com  



the shore of Lemon Bay Englewood, Fl.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whether this red tide has been made worse by the brown water discharge from Lake Okeechobee or if it’s the result of the perfect storm of early heavy rains and higher than normal temperatures, one thing we know for sure is so far this year, on Siesta Key the number 1 beach in the nation in 2017, workers have picked up 9 tons of dead fish. This red tide has the potential to devastate not only our shoreline and livelihood, but our health as well.  In the words of one charter captain I spoke with “We need a strong easterly wind to blow this out to sea.”

Review; Wingman Cooler Outrigger

 

The Wingman Cooler Outrigger on
on our Old town

Wingman Outfitter is a Roanoke, Va. based company focused on making canoeing a more mainstream activity. How are they doing this? By developing several products to make your canoe more enjoyable and family friendly.

I have canoed most of my life, but living in the gator capital of the world, South West Florida, there was always this little voice in the back of my head that said if we go over this could get bad. Especially when my boys were young. Let’s face it as much as we love our canoes, they aren’t the most stable craft on the water. 

Now in my 50’s my wife and I bought a nice Old Town at my favorite toy store, Bass Pro Shops. I was confident that our maiden voyage would be a great success. We loaded our phones, her new Canon Camera and the other necessities for our successful adventure. Was our maiden voyage successful? Yes, it was. For the phone store, the eye doctor and for Canon, one wrong move and I tipped us over. That one wrong move cost us over $1000.00. Needless to say, I was a little upset.

 

Local Gator

 

The next week I read an article in Bass Master Magazine titled, “Winging it on the Water” the article was about a cooler outrigger for canoes. I was intrigued. After weeks of research and a few phone calls to Wingman Outfitter I purchased my outrigger.

When I first installed the outrigger onto our Old Town (in under 10 minutes), I was somewhat skeptical. I told my wife if this thing works as good as they say it does it will be amazing.

We put in at Lemon Bay and paddled out about 40 yards and I rocked the canoe, Jennifer held on for dear life. We stayed dry. Then I asked her to stand up, and she did. Then all 6’4” 300 pounds of me stood up in our canoe. Shifted my weight we rocked back and forth but never tipped over. The next challenge for the Wingman Cooler Outrigger was the wake of a speeding flats boat. We hit the wake on the port side and kept right on paddling.

Jennifer Standing

 

 

Because of the Wingman Cooler Outrigger our Canoe has been turned into a virtual paddle powered SUV, it handles wind, rain and waves without any trouble and has plenty of storage for a several days float trip.

Whether you are getting older or have a health issue that makes it difficult to get out on the water and enjoy your canoe, than you need the Wingman Cooler Outrigger. Perhaps you’re an inexperienced paddler or have small children with you, or maybe you just want to show up the jet skier who swamped you last year, then Wingman Outfitter Cooler Outrigger is for you. The Cooler Outrigger makes your canoe as stable as a nice jon boat. If per chance you happen to fall out of your canoe you can easily climb right back in but that’s another story.

After over a year of using our Wingman Outfitter Cooler Outrigger, I wouldn’t think of paddling without it. Wingman Outfitter has enhanced our canoeing adventures, whether we are fishing in fresh or salt water, or exploring new waters where we know that no matter what we may encounter, we will conquer it, thanks to our Wingman Outfitter Cooler Outrigger

Visit their website at www.wingmanoutfitter.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wingmanoutfitter  and take a look at the cooler outrigger along with the latest innovations in the paddling industry. 

#wingmanoutfitter #cooleroutrigger #paddling #canoe #fishing #hunting #theoutsidematters

Me on the shore of Lemon Bay
Englewood, Fl.

A Flags View

 

 



 

 

Hello. I am a flag. No not just any flag, I am a symbol of freedom. I am 242 years old and I have the rips and tattered edges to prove it. I have flown over countries all over the world. I fly proudly on foreign shores over the graves of the brave men who fought and died for me.

I survived the revolution where I was born and a bloody Civil war, where in 1863 it was brother against brother. In some circles there are still repercussions felt from this bloody time in my history. I pray that it never happens again, but there are familiar whispers today. I flew over battles in “The war to end all wars” in 1918. My people fought and died in the European trenches where over 116,000 men lost their lives in the fight for freedom.

When the war was over my country had prosperity in the roaring twenties. That is until 1929 and the crash of the stock market. My people were in for ten long years of hard times. But my people are tough and resilient and made it through.

I was flying over the Pacific fleet on that clear morning of December 7^th, 1941. On this “day that will live in infamy,” my Navy was attacked by Japan. I would once again fly into battle. Boys as young as seventeen were enlisting to fight the Axis powers of Germany, Japan and Italy.

While I was ripped, dropped, shot and bloodied and battered I survived the battles on the Pacific Islands. Guadalcanal, Okinawa and I was raised on Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima. I was flying high when the kamikazes slammed into my ships where I went to the bottom with some ships. On the other side of the world I was in the English Channel when the Ailed forces landed on Normandy. It was the largest amphibian invasion in history. The war ended in September 1945.

The men and women who served returned home to a hero’s welcome.

The country was united and prosperous, through out the 1950’s, ‘60’s and early 1970’s. but it wasn’t long before I was back on the battle field. First in Korea where over 33,000 men and women never made it home and then in Viet Nam. I was flying high in Viet Nam, but the public was against the war. When my troops came home they were spit on and called names. It was a disgrace to those brave men and women who went and fought for the freedoms the protesters were enjoying. I fly over a great nation and even though it was 20 years too late, our Viet Nam vets now get the respect they deserve.

In the mid 1970’s we had the oil embargo, long gas lines, the impending ice age and our bicentennial. On November 4^th, 1979 the Iran Hostage crisis started. These hostages were held for a total of 444 days and released on January 21^st, 1981. In the 1980’s we had prosperity and “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” Our economy continued to grow into the 1990’s and into the early 2000’s.

Then came that September day. Tuesday September 11^th, 2001 when almost 3000 people lost their lives in one attack on my land. The people of this country were united like never before. Then we hit back. Seventeen years later we are still fighting this enemy known as radical Islam. I am still flying high and we are winning this war.

In the 2010’s my people started to become more and more divided along racial, economic and political lines. We are more divided now than ever in my history. Some of todays young people protest me. They spit on me, burn and trample me, because they don’t like what I stand for. Don’t they understand that half a world away they have counterparts who are putting their lives on the line for me?  So that they have the right to dishonor me. My history isn’t being taught in their schools like it was fifty years ago. If a generation isn’t told about their history and culture, then it is lost forever.

Yes, people hate me around the world and right here at home for what I stand for. But without me, my beliefs and my people the world would be a much different place. It wouldn’t be as free or as safe. No, we haven’t done this alone, but when we lead the world wins.

Today things are looking brighter. My economy is booming and jobs are coming back across the board.

Yes, I am a flag, but not just any flag. When I wave in the breeze you see seven red stripes, six white strips and a field of blue filled with fifty stars. I am proud to be the flag of the United States of America!

 

Lend a Helping Hand

 

 

The last few times I’ve been out fishing, it seems that I have spent more time helping other people with their tangled reels, teaching them how to tie a knot or the proper way to bait a hook than I’ve spent wetting a line. And that’s okay.

I remember years ago people helped each other. It didn’t matter who you were, how much money you had, what color you were, your political views or where you came from. People helped people. Today it seems hatred abounds.

When I was a younger man if I came across someone who had a flat tire, and they were older or a woman, I would stop and help.  That was how I was raised. Today I might be called sexist or something. As I got older the world changed and so did I. I became more cynical, if it didn’t involve me it wasn’t my problem. And that is what’s wrong with the world today, people forget that we are all here together, with no place else to go.

What does it cost you to show some kindness? To change a flat tire, or help that person get that package of water off the top shelf? It will only take a few minutes of your time.

I was reminded of this by my two grown boys. One is a recovery specialist, helping people get off whatever they are addicted to and my other son who told me, “Dad people are just people. And if I can take a few minutes out of my day and make someone smile, then it’s a good day.”

So why don’t we try and get back to neighbor helping neighbor and make your little corner of the world a little brighter.

Matthew 25:40 “'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Back to the Basics

                                                                              

Do you remember strapping your small tacklebox to the rack on your bike, holding your fishing rod in your hand as you pedal as fast as you can to your favorite fishing spot? How about catching nightcrawlers after a heavy rain? Even digging through that pile of fresh horse manure from the stalls you cleaned, because those worms had that certain florescent color you were sure the fished liked better? Back when fishing wasn’t something you did to relax after work but was your life’s joy.

That’s how I started out, but something happened along the way. The joy of childhood became the addiction of adulthood. Like many other outdoorsmen I have more equipment than I ever imagined. I have tackleboxes stacked on tackleboxes, Three or four just for fresh water and another three or four, for my saltwater excursions. My favorite rod is a 5 ½ foot medium Bass Pro Power Plus with a Penn Battle 4000 spinning reel. There are also several ugly stiks, St. Croix, Daiwa and Shimano rods coupled with Penn and Daiwa spinning and casting reels. You get the idea.

 

 

 

 

Over the past few months my wife Jennifer reminded me of the joy of back to the basics of fishing. Okay she did this by out fishing me and my arsenal of artificial baits with a bobber and worm. So, I swallowed my pride and put on a bail hook, bobber and worm and guess what?  A few seconds after my line hit the water, my bobber started to dance. I remembered that bass aren’t the only fish in the water, and I can have a lot of fun catching bluegill. You never know what you’ll catch because everything that swims will eat a nightcrawler.

 I have known and fished with people who say they had a bad day on the water if they didn’t catch their target fish. I just don’t understand that train of thought. How can it be a bad day if you are out paddling, or you’re in a boat making a sunrise run to your favorite spot or fishing on the bank with your children or grandchildren?

I’ve fished tournaments when money was on the line and that can be thrilling, but I believe as adults we strive so hard to be the next household name in fishing that we lose the simple joy of wetting a line. The most satisfying fishing I do these days is in our canoe with my wife.

Next time you go fishing try and remember the pure joy you had as a child, put a nightcrawler on a hook and watch that bobber dance. In the fading light of sunset you may be pleasantly surprise.

 

 

Lake Monsters; a Worldwide Phenomenon

The Surgeon's Photo

Lake monsters, what are they? Are they real or just a figment of our collective imagination? There have been sightings for hundreds of years, all over the world, by people from all walks of life. These creatures have been sighted in Scotland, Iceland, Argentina, South Africa, Canada and the United states as well as Italy and Turkey.

Cryptozoologist are the people who work to prove the existence of unknown species including new insects, deep water fish and lake monsters. The oxford dictionary’s definition says, “An animal whose existence or survival to present day is disputed or unsubstantiated, any animal of interest to a cytpozoologist.” Is a cryptoid.

The “Father of Cryptozoology” is Barnard Heuvelmans (1916-2001). In his 1955 book on the track of unknown animals, he explains the need for cryptozoology. He states that unknown creatures are still being found. The Komodo Dragon was discovered in 1910 and the Pigmy Chimpanzee in 1933. www.britanna.com.

What dwells in the deep dark lakes of the world? If these creatures do exist what could they be? Well let’s take a look at a few of these monsters. We will begin our search in Iceland. The home of The Lagarfljótsormur or Iceland worm. This creature lives in the freshwater of lake Lagarfljót. This 40-foot monster worm has been seen since 1345. In 1963 this lake monster was spotted by the head of the Icelandic national forest service, then in 1998 a teacher and her students spotted this creature on a field trip. There is not  a lot of information about this lake monster, but in 2012 there was a video shot of it swimming at the surface of the lake. Check it out on www.youtube.com.

Let’s board our plain for the 7000-mile flight to South Africa. Make sure your trays and seats are in their upright position.

Living at the base of Howick Falls is the Inkanyamba. It is a large serpent like creature that has terrified the Xhosa and Zulu tribes for hundreds of years. Inkanyamba is described as “a colossal eel-like anomalies with fined manes, huge fore flippers a horse like head and a decidedly nasty disposition.” www.crypoia.us 

This creature dates back to the time of cave drawings and to this day the local tribes believe that when Inkanyamba is angry it conjures up the seasonal storms. This eel-like monster even made the big time on the T.V. show Animalx.
www.wikipedia.org 

Now that our tour of Howick Falls is complete, let’s settle into our seats for the almost 9000 mile flight to Okanagan lake in British Columbia, Canada, home to the legend of the lake Ogopogo. The native Indian’s name for this monster is Naitaka or Lake Demon. www.wikipedia.org  The Indians say that Nakitaka is “A blood thirsty killer… that would demand a live sacrifice for safe passage” of the lake. www.livescience.com

Bleisaours

Ogopogo has been seen by the first Canadian tribes up to modern times. In 2005 Ogopogo was filmed and the video was investigated by The National Geographic Channel’s show, Is It Real?. The researchers. Benjamin Redford, Joe Nickell and John Kirk concluded that Art Folden was a living creature, but the size of the animal was in question. www.livescience.com In 2011 Richard Hauls filmed Nakitaka swimming in the lake and can be viewed on www.youtube.com  

Is Ogopogo an extinct Besilosaurse? He is said to be forty-five feet long and is seen in various colors with brown, black, green and gray most commonly seen. Only time and science will tell

While we are in North America let’s catch a train down to the New York Vermont border and Lake Champlain. The 489 square mile lake is home to Champ.

Champ has several different looks. He measures from ten (offspring?) to one hundred and eighty feet, his head is either flat or rounded and his body is either rounded with one to four humps or snake like. His eyes glow and has a range of skin colors and textures. www.paranormal-encyclopedia.com

Champ has been seen over 300 times. He is the legend of both area Indian tribes, the Iroquios and the Abenaki, who call him Tatoskok. The first person to see Champ was Samuel de Champlain the lakes namesake in 1609. Then in 1883 Sheriff Nathen H. Mooney describes seeing Champ about “20 yards” from shore. “the creature appeared be about 25-30 feet in length.” With the Sheriff’s testimony, more people came forward with information about their own sightings. In 2005 “Two retired FBI forensic image analysts…” reviewed a video shot by Dick Affolter and Pete Bodette, “said that tape appeared to be authentic and unmanipulated.” www.wikipedia.org

There are also sound recordings from the lake. In 2003 The Fauna Communications Research Institute working with The Discovery Channel recorded what sounded like dolphin or beluga whales, which do not live in the lake. The findings were published in scientific journals. More recently in 2014 Cryptozoologist Katy Elizabeth and Dennis Hall recorded a sound on July 31 at 7:45pm that they believe is none other than Champ. www.dailymail.co.uk

So, what lurks in the depths of Lake Champlain? Is it a relative of the inhabitant of the next stop on our world tour, the monster in Loch Ness? Let’s find out. We have some down time on our 3200 mile flight to Inverness Airport in Scotland, relax and enjoy the in-flight movie.

The Loch Ness Monster is the most famous lake monster in the world. Sightings of Nessie date back over 1,450 years. The first sighting is told on www.catholicism.org After hearing how the monster of the loch attacked and killed a man, Saint Columbia told one of “His companions to swim…” in the loch. “Lugne Mocumin hearing the command…obeyed without the least delay. But the monster, which, so far from being satiated (satisfied) laying on the bottom…suddenly rushed out, and giving an awful roar, darted after him with its mouth wide open.” Seeing this Saint Columbia “raised his Holy hand…invoking the name of God formed the sign of the cross…saying ‘Thou shalt go no further, nor touch the man; go back with all speed.’…at the voice of the Saint, the monster was terrified…” and quickly returned to the bottom of the loch.

Urquhart Castle

Sightings continue through out the centuries, by the clergy, doctors and others. In fact there have been over 3000 sightings of Nessie. However the “scientific community regards the Loch Ness Monster as a phenomenon without biological basis.” www.wikipedia.org Science VS The Catholic Church, go figure.

The name The Loch Ness Monster was coined in an August 4^th 1933 article published in the Inverness Courier recounting an encounter of George Spencer and his wife while driving near the loch shore they saw “The nearest apparition of a Dragon or pre-historic animal that I have ever seen in my life.” www.wikipedia.org  On April 19^th, 1934 there was finally photographic evidence of Nessie, “The Surgeon’s Photo.” While driving on a north shore road, the highly respected British surgeon Colonel Robert Wilson spotted something moving in the loch, stopped his car and took the famous picture.

Since the “Surgeon’s photo” there have been several pictures and movies of the world’s most famous lake monster. In 1960 a hump leaving a wake in the loch was filmed by aeronautical engineer Tim Dinsdale and in 2007 Gordon Holmes video taped “This jet black thing. Moving fairly fast through the water.”  A noted Loch Ness marine biologist said of the video “The best footage (he had) ever seen.” In August 2011 Captain Marcus Atkinson has a sonar image of a creature almost five feet wide that follow his boat for almost two minutes. Technology is also helping the cause of Nessie, in April 2014 Apple Maps has a satellite image of a large creature just under the surface of Loch Ness.then on March 26, 2018, Dakota Frandsen of Idaho reported “seeing a large dark shape, roughly forty -feet long” near the “Urquhart Castle jetty.” He went on to say it was gray in color and swam to the other side of the loch when a speed boat approached. Www.lochnesssightings.com 

In 1994 the “surgeons photo” was said to be a hoax. Co-conspirator Chritian Spurling, said before he died that the photo was of a three-foot submarine that they used to take the photo. www.hoaxes.org

Lake monsters are a world wide phenomena and I presented only a handful of reported lake monsters. There is also The Lake Koshkonog Monster in Wisconsin, Morag in Loch Morar in Scotland and many others.

Whether you believe in lake monsters or not one thing is definitely real about these creatures that’s the boom to the local economies. Nessie is Scotland’s most famous attraction, there are also Ogopogo and Champ toys, books, tee shirts and entire stores dedicated to these monsters.

Thus, ends our almost 20,000 mile journey around the world to find the truth about lake monsters. I hope you enjoyed our excursion into the world of cryptozoology and remember; whether lake monsters are pre-historic Plesiosaurus, seals playing in the surf or a monster eel, something is out there. But what?