Biggest fish or creature in the wild YOU ever saw ?

[Spridel]

I saw a fish off a pier in Boone Lake in TN not far from the dam one well lit full moon night as we were fishing with the luminescent glow lights. It was the size of Cadillac, one of the old Cadillacs.
Years earlier some Navy Divers inspecting the dam "felt" something watching them work at the base of the dam. They said they turned their flashlights and saw an eye the size of a dinner plate watching them just feet away. One diver almost panicked at the sight of this giant fish he said could gulp you down whole. Both NAVY divers swore they'd never inspect that dam again. they both claimed it was the biggest fresh water fish they'd ever seen or imagined could exist.
One of my older friends is a Navy diver, those guys are hardcore.
I'm wondering if the fish I saw that night was the same one and if anyone has ever heard of such a thing ?
The story with the NAVY divers is documented, it's factual.

 

[CardsFan]

I wish I had a nickle for every time I've heard this story. The first time I heard it was when I was a kid back in the 70's during the CB craze. I talked with more than one diver who did repair work on locks in the Ohio River around Louisville who told me the same. I have heard the same stories countless time over the years. No doubt these guys have come across some monster kitties, but I think the size gets embellished in the excitement.

I can't blame them though. If I were diving on a dam and brushed against a 60 Blue kitty I'd soil my drawers as well. And it's size would have grown to 300 pounds by the time I got out of the water.

 

[GeauxLSU]

Fly fishing in Alaska we had a whale surface fairly close. Whales are big (and a lot louder than I had imagined).

 

[Spridel]

The Boone Lake story is documented. Fish that big do exist.

This big sucker here had a missing man inside him
http://shanghaiist.com/2007/08/11/amazingly_huge.php

 

[BIKER13]

Saw a huge manta ray in Jacksonville Fl and a 12 ft shark in PCB one time.But a 12 ft alligator was the biggest rush.

 

[Badger]

Let's see..Whales, Elk, an American Bison easily a ton (hump tip high as a truck cab he was the "Old man" of the herd, Grizzly, Black Bear, Water Buffalo SE Asia,Seen some HUGE gators, 6+ foot Eastern Diamondbacks, 10-12 ft Sharks,
No they weren't all in the backyard or the bottom of the bottle...LOL....just done some travelling in my time.

 

[CardsFan]

The Boone Lake story is documented. Fish that big do exist.

This big sucker here had a missing man inside him
http://shanghaiist.com/2007/08/11/amazingly_huge.php

I have no doubt whatsoever that fish much bigger than the one in that photo exist in freshwater on this planet. But if we're talking about the Eastern U.S., I believe the world record blue and flathead kitties are both under 150 pounds, and their eyes are nowhere near the size of dinner plates.

Now possibly a Sturgeon? Maybe. Not sure how big their eyes get. The point is, I've heard those stories so many times over my life I would be highly skeptical of any diver encounter with a fish in freshwater on this side of the Mississppi that was so big it had eyes the size of dinner plates and could swallow a grown man whole.

BTW, I'm not doubting you a bit that you saw a monster fish. But the frequency of diver related stories talking about encounters with fish several hundred pounds? Yep, I do doubt all those stoies are true.

 

[DanKATL]

an American Bison easily a ton (hump tip high as a truck cab he was the "Old man" of the herd..

They are huge.

Worked lawn care one summer and the owner had a deal worked out with a local bison farmer to take any clean clippings for feed. We were in the back of an F350 with a very high lift kit and the bulls head was just above the bed wall. He would push up against the truck if we didn't dump the clippings fast enough and just about knock us out. A few years later he trampled the farmer and collapsed part of the barn after snapping several 12" x12" wood supports.

 

[semi-pro]

#200 lb alligator snapping turtle. I will no longer swim in lakes.

 

[Leatherhead]

I was snorkeling in Cancun and went down about 15ft or so to grab a conk and show my wife on the surface....on my was back up I look to my left and a 5ft baracuda was staring at me about 10 ft away from me. Terrifying!

On land I encountered a black bear while hiking in N Ga. It didn't even see me. Big ****er too.