the constant skeptic

If you talk to anybody who’s spent some time on Lake
Tahoe, you’ll hear the stories - tales of monstrous
creatures that lurk in the depths. There are stories of
encounters with strange, unidentified beasts. In fact, you
may have already heard of “Tahoe Tessie” - the dinosaur
like critter that is rumored to live in the lake.

Well, I think the Tessie deal is more of a product of the
Lake Tahoe area Chamber of Commerce’s marketing director
than anything else, but there have been enough accounts of
strange things in the lake that make me think that there
could be something out there.

Every charter boat skipper on Tahoe has had at least one
run-in with something big - really big. I’ve talked to a
captain who had a 15-pound mackinaw trout hooked, only to
have something gigantic grab it on the way in. When they
eventually got the mack, it had huge teeth marks in it.

Imagine how big something would have to be to try to make
a snack out of a 35-inch fish! Another skipper I talked to
was reeling in a small fish when some leviathan grabbed it
and immediately dove to the bottom of the lake - 600 feet
down. He never saw it, never even got it close.

I’ve also heard the rumors of giant fish remains washing
up on the shore during winter storms; stories of fish-like
creatures as big as eight feet long jumping, and tales of
huge shapes seen swimming around pier pilings late in the
evening.

Who knows how many of these stories are true but with a
lake as big and deep as Tahoe (more than 1,600 feet), the
mind reels at the possibilities.

Furthermore, consider that Tahoe was once part of an
ancient, immense body of water - Lake Lahontan - which
also covered what is now Pyramid Lake. The gigantic lake
had all kinds of strange and unusual critters in it. Could
something from the prehistoric days survived in Tahoe?

Perhaps. After all, a fish living in the depths of the
lake (say below 500 feet) would be able to escape
detection from anglers, who rarely drop their gear below
300 feet. Subs and test nets have been deployed in the
lake over the years to unlock its mysteries, but there’s a
lot of water out there and it would be impossible to see
all there is to see.