The Turtle Lake Creature- Monster or Fish?

Turtle Lake lies in Saskatchewan, Canada. The lake takes its name from a Cree legend about a giant denizen in the lake. Turtle Lake is about 21 km long and about 5 km wide. Since 1961 there have been numerous reported sightings of an unusual creature in the Lake, Natives call it Big Fish. It is variously described as being from three meters to 10 meters long and black brown or green with the head of a horse. Some say it has a dorsal fin others say it is sleek like an otter. It is reported to tear apart fishermen's nets, to terrorize boaters, and to scatter schools of fish.

In one reported sighting a fisherman and his daughter and grandson were throwing out his nets on Turtle Lake, when They spotted a large creature about 13 yards off the ships bow. They watched as the creatures head and back came out of the water, then rolled over and dropped into the waters depths. The creatures head was like that of a large seahorse.

This article From Dave Yanko: source http://www.virtualsk.com/current_issue/fish_are_not_talking.html

There's something strange and mysterious in Turtle Lake. The fish aren't talkin'. And judging by the descriptions from the people who've seen it, it's anywhere from three to nine metres in length (10 to 30 feet), with or without a dorsal fin, smooth or scaly, with a head resembling either a dog, a seahorse or a pig. It's no new phenomenon to Turtle Lake, located 120 kms (74 miles) northwest of North Battleford. It's been there for as long as anyone can remember -well before the lakeside bar might have provided an explanation. Indian legend holds that people who ventured into its territory were never seen again. No one's blamed it for any recent disappearances. Again, the fish aren't talkin. But each year, on average, one boater returns to shore with a wide-eyed tale about a goose-bumpy encounter with something from the deep. Something with mass. Something big. Gordon Watt, who farms about 200 kms south of Turtle Lake, was casting from his boat when he spotted something in the water about 12 metres (13 yards) off the bow. "Its head came up, its back came up and it sort of rolled over -we never saw the tail," he said. "Its head looked like a seahorse." Members of the fishing party were "thunderstruck" and "amazed", said Watt. Yet, once their astonishment subsided, they cranked up the boat motor, zipped over to the area where the thing slipped under and tried to snag it. Could have been quite a ride. Watt said maybe it was a sturgeon, "but I'm not convinced."

There are stories it could be a plesiosaur, but it seems unlikely .There would have to be a breeding family of them and they would have been in the lake for thousands of years and not just seen recently. It could be some sort of seal as I think locals would recognise an indigenous large fish, however it is not unknown for large cat fish to drag people under the water and there are I understand flat head catfish in the lake. Another interesting story to mull over !