I've also always heard the stories being raised around those giant lakes in the hills of TN. But those guys were NAVY divers, these guys are used to going deep and seeing unusual stuff. To see a fish as big as the one the they described could be the story all the others are based off of. as I said, THAT story is documented. What I saw that night I have no idea other than I did see something very big that was alive. could it be bigger in my mind than it was in reality ? Yes, I won't deny that but my memory of it is clear and I stopped swimming in it. I've scuba dived in Watauga Lake because it was crystal clear and clean and never saw anything like what I saw that night, but Boone because was too cloudy and dirty for my comfort levels.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.
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