# What swam by my legs?



## godukies (Sep 1, 2007)

I am standing in clear slow moving water about 3 feet deep, right next to some pretty thick plants growing in the water. I am not really paying any attention to anything other than re-tying my knots. Out of the corner of my eye I see something large swim right next to my leg. My first thought was a large carp but as I look, it is some kind of animal. By the time I got over my shock it disappeared into the plants. I got a decent look at its body - reddish color and fur that repelled water, and swimming completely submerged. I don't think it was a beaver as there were no signs of beaver anywhere and I think I would have noticed the tail and the body shape didn't resemble a beaver. Muskrats have skinny long tails that it seems I would have noticed but a muskrat tail would be easier to overlook than a beaver tail. Anything else it could have been?


----------



## jimcafc (May 11, 2013)

What river were you fishing?

I've seen river otters in the Stillwater. 

I couldn't believe it when I saw it but it surfaced 3 times and it was clearly a river otter. 


Sent from my iPhone using Ohub Campfire


----------



## godukies (Sep 1, 2007)

I was in the Stillwater. Otter crossed my mind


----------



## Snakecharmer (Apr 9, 2008)

What size ? size of a Kitten? Cat? Beagle? Sheep?


----------



## jimcafc (May 11, 2013)

Otter it was. Pretty cool. 

I've lived 2 minutes from the Stillwater almost all my life and never knew we had otters living here until my wife and I floated a section of it last year. Blew my mind. 




Sent from my iPhone using Ohub Campfire


----------



## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

jimcafc said:


> What river were you fishing?
> 
> I've seen river otters in the Stillwater.
> 
> ...


----------



## godukies (Sep 1, 2007)

I am going to say the size of a large rabbit/ small cat.


----------



## cali2ohio (Nov 27, 2010)

Baby Ohio Grassman???


----------



## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

Montac im gettin in before lowell gabboon viper or black mamba


----------



## BornWithGills (Feb 26, 2006)

Could definitely be a mink as well those babies can swim like fish.


----------



## godukies (Sep 1, 2007)

After looking at pics of all the mentioned animals, I obviously missed the tail as they all have substantial tails. Somehow in my shock of seeing this thing and slightly wondering if I was going to be attacked or bitten I must not have looked where the tail would be. Assuming they both swim submerged I will go with possible muskrat, possible otter.


----------



## oldstinkyguy (Mar 28, 2010)

montagc said:


> Sandy Squirrel
> Danny ball covertly scouting an area
> An 8 pound 20" smallie
> Black crappie
> Bull shark


Don't forget a black rat snake. I was po'd when you beat me to the black crappie...


----------



## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

Large rabbit / small cat sounds possibly too big for a mink but that was my first guess also. They look a lot like a small otter. A jet black one was swimming right next to my boat a couple of years ago on Atwood Lake. Almost looked like he was begging for food for a minute.


----------



## co-angler (Jan 3, 2010)

I'm going with a fish ohio rock bass.


----------



## Cat Mangler (Mar 25, 2012)

Beaver toothed black panther?


----------



## snakedog (Feb 12, 2009)

River otters locally? Been dreading that actually. A buddy down in Cynthiana claims they've ruined fishing on the South Fork of the Licking. The otters there were released by Kentucky as a re-intro project.


----------



## saugmon (Jun 14, 2006)

My bro trapped a reddish mink the other day in a live trap and posted it on fb. Definitely some red in it. Here's the pic:









Maybe it was a baby chupacabra?


----------



## Dandrews (Oct 10, 2010)

Mean mouth bass


----------



## Lowell H Turner (Feb 22, 2011)

MODERATORS ! Foul ! Foul I say...apparently river otters are making a strong comeback.


----------



## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

What foul ???


----------



## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

2 times Ive had swimming beavers bump into me over the years, once a small one, the other time....... the EPA sent me a bill for the e coli cleanup they had to do on the entire watershed.....seriously....it was a 50 lber....

Salmonid


----------



## Bazzin05 (Feb 2, 2011)

To the OP I say it was for sure a goliath grouper.



Salmonid said:


> 2 times Ive had swimming beavers bump into me over the years, once a small one, the other time....... the EPA sent me a bill for the e coli cleanup they had to do on the entire watershed.....seriously....it was a 50 lber....
> 
> Salmonid


 
Your lucky your legs don't look like tree stumps or you might have been in a world of hurt.


----------



## slowtroller (Sep 28, 2011)

Sounds like a small river otter or a large mink.


----------



## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

Bazzin05 said:


> To the OP I say it was for sure a goliath grouper.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Iheard someone caught one of those in the GMR LOL


----------



## rod bender bob (May 19, 2004)

Ive never seen a muskrat or mink the size if a cat?


----------



## Ant (Mar 27, 2013)

Baby Ogopogo.Ive heard theyre range was expanding.


----------



## SMBHooker (Jan 3, 2008)

rod bender bob said:


> Ive never seen a muskrat or mink the size if a cat?


I have mistaken a muskrat for a beaver they do get pretty big.


----------



## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

Sounds like a baby Fur-maid. (WV's version of a Mermaid.) Did it have teeth?


----------



## BruceT (Jun 14, 2013)

Sasquatch platypus?


----------



## EStrong (Jul 23, 2014)

.


----------



## Iowa Dave (Sep 27, 2009)

It was Chuck Norris incognito.


----------



## yakfish (Mar 13, 2005)

All Eyes said:


> Sounds like a baby Fur-maid. (WV's version of a Mermaid.) Did it have teeth?


Teeth...most of them fell out but there were a couple left!


----------



## CWG (May 12, 2010)

Snakecharmer said:


> Sheep?



this made me laff


----------



## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

Check out this news video. River otter attack left this woman and boy tore up pretty bad. One of these things swimming through your legs is nightmare material. 
https://gma.yahoo.com/grandmother-s...er-attack-215416248--abc-news-topstories.html


----------



## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

And speaking of minks, here's a video of one stealing some guys catfish out of a bucket. Resilient little bugger.


----------



## BaitWaster (Oct 25, 2013)

I think I had a mink swim right beside me yesterday on the Stillwater. Looked like a rat in the water. The tail appeared really skinny in the water. After watching how the tail appeared in that YouTube video it could have been a mink


----------

