An account in Harrison County, Ohio

I was 17 years old and fishing on a boat about 25 feet from shore. My father was with me and decided to take a nap on the deck of the boat. Suddenly I heard the sound of footsteps walking through water. It was a unique sound because it was a very distinct "caploosh Gloomp". "caploosh Gloomp." It sounded like when I have walked through knee deep water in the past. Then, I heard a roar like nothing I have ever heard before. It sounded angry and a bit like a lion. There was splashing and then the sound of a squealing animal in distress, followed by more splashing and more roaring. Immediately, I started looking around in all directions but could not see anything. The sound was so vivid. I felt I was in danger and that whatever was harming this small animal was going to harm me and may even jump in the boat. Paralyzed with fear, I used the quiet electric trolling motor to get as far away from shore as I could with creating any disturbance. I woke my dad up who was napping and he heard the tail end of the encounter and instructed me to immediately start the motor and get out of there. We headed back to the marina and went inside to get a snack and drink. We had not known what we had encountered or if anyone would ever believe us. We were discussing the incident between us. Just then, a man behind the serving counter asked us what was wrong and could sense the fear in our faces. We told him of our encounter and he did not seem to be surprised. He told us that a few years ago a news crew showed up at this lake to do a report on a "Bigfoot" sighting. Until that time neither my dad or me suspected a Bigfoot, nor had we heard of anything like it. From that point on, I have been convinced that it might have been. In my mind I ruled out a short or four legged animal because of the sound of the distinct footsteps in the water. The aggression of the splashing and roars could have only been made from a large animal. One thing to note is that the woods and forest surrounding the lake are very, very dense and have often commented to my dad that it would be very difficult to get onto the shore. I have told this story many times and have been ridiculed. I hope you will believe me.