The Flathead Lake Monster is a cryptid, a creature whose existence is now not proven, that is said to be located in Flathead Lake in Montana. Its look is very comparable to that of the Loch Ness Monster, and the two have regularly been said to be the same kind of creature.
Flathead Lake Location
Montana's "Nessie"
Is Flathead Lake Monster Maybe a Giant Sturgeon?
While many claim the creature might be nothing more than a large sturgeon, believers point to the fact that there are no records of sturgeon appearing in the lake. In attempt to solve the mystery, the company Big Fish Unlimited announced a cash reward in the 1950s to anyone who caught a sturgeon in Flathead Lake. It appeared to work when on May 28, 1955, an angler by the name of C. Leslie Griffith came forward with a 7-foot-6-inch, 181-pound white sturgeon that he claimed to pull from the lake. The catch generated a lot of buzz, but many people doubted his story and claimed that the fish was actually caught elsewhere and brought to Flathead Lake. There are reports that a biologist from the University of Montana examined the contents of the fish's stomach and determined that it had really come from a separate river. However, Griffith stuck with his story and even testified under oath that the fish came out of the lake during a trial contesting ownership of the fish. Today, the sturgeon can be seen at the nearby Polson-Flathead Historical Museum.
Monster Sightings in 1993
The Flathead Monster Today
There are still scattered reports of sightings of the Flathead Lake Monster to this day. On August 18, 1998, an angler on the lake reported seeing a large object tailing a lake trout that he was pulling in. On July 28, 2005, a couple was relaxing on an anchored boat when they heard splashing that caught their attention. They turned to watch a creature they estimated to be 25-feet long swimming 75 to 100 yards away from them. They described it as having dark-colored skin with several rounded humps that rose up to two feet out of the water as it swam. Most sightings seem to be focused on the western side of the lake, with a good number coming from the areas on the lake known as Skidoo Bay, Polson Bay, and The Narrows. If you travel to the area, keep alert because you never know what you might see.