BF fish nibbles on Indiana swimmers

[Dakota Valkyrie]

It's the strangest of all fish tales that have come out of Hardy Lake in southern Indiana in quite some time. As little children have been swimming in a roped-off area, something has been biting them.

It is believed to still be lurking under the surface.

"It felt like someone was pinching me underwater," said Loralye Daubaugh.

Daubaugh's leg was bitten, by an unknown creature, to the point that it was bruised and bleeding.

"I ran out of the water screaming," she said.

And so did a few other children who reported being bitten over the Memorial Day holiday weekend in the shallow swimming area.

There has been plenty of speculation as to what the mysterious creature is. It could have been a walleye, or a catfish. But since nobody has actually seen it, imaginations are running wild.

The park's staff believes it may have been a catfish guarding her nest. They expect the fish to head back out to deeper water within the next few days, once its young have hatched.

http://www.wivb.com/dpps/news/offbea...ke-jgr_3396847

After several people have been bitten, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources tells WHAS11 News they do plan to put up warning signs at Hardy Lake in Scott County.
[...]

Officials say they have been searching the lake since swimmers started reporting bites but they haven't found anything yet.

http://www.whas11.com/news/local/War...-95550959.html

What does an attack fish warning sign look like?

[carolinablue]

OK, the ocean has been off limits since "Jaws", rivers and creeks since "Summer of the Shark" (about the Matewan Creek bull shark back in (I think) the 1920's). Now I must avoid lakes because of killer catfish? How about we send about 5-6 hungry coonasses up there...tell them fishing is forbidden, there's a humongous catfish in the lake, and the bait shop is having a sale on beer and Zatarain's Fish Fry? That ole catfish would be crumbs and memories.

[MC30]

well, whatever it was, it had a pretty big mouth.

[biteme]

Catfish protecting its nest gets my vote. Wish humans were as protective of their young as most of our wild creatures

[Mystica43229]

I love swimming in lakes! I also like sticking my feet in to let my toes get nibbled on by fish.

[gee]

OK, the ocean has been off limits since "Jaws", rivers and creeks since "Summer of the Shark" (about the Matewan Creek bull shark back in (I think) the 1920's). Now I must avoid lakes because of killer catfish? How about we send about 5-6 hungry coonasses up there...tell them fishing is forbidden, there's a humongous catfish in the lake, and the bait shop is having a sale on beer and Zatarain's Fish Fry? That ole catfish would be crumbs and memories.

I about fell out my seat laughing "5-6 hungry coonasses"
too funny!

[Tits McGee]

What does an attack fish warning sign look like?

[Dark Star]

Damn, I grew up in the country and have been fishing and swimming in many ponds, lakes and rivers and NEVER been gnawed on like that. Catfish have bit me but damn......that had to have been a HUGE ass catfish. I know they get really big like a freaking shark. Wowsie. I would have come out of the water screaming like a damn banshee.

[akika666]

they don't get that big (i hope) up here in Connecticut... i grew up on a lake and am shortly to be inheriting and living in the same house, and my kids love to swim there now. the lil fishies do like to kiss sometimes... but DAMN.

those big catfish bites remind me of the show i saw once on Discovery with the guys who were "noodling." they were wading around, sticking their bare hands into underwater crevices, then pulling out the humongo catfish from the water as they chomped on their fingers.

i'm not sure, but those guys in the documentary might have been "coonasses."

[TheMorningStar]

Looking at the bite, my bet is on Lampetra fluviatilis. Not native to North America but what does that matter anymore? They look like sucker bites. Must be a clean lake - nice!

[akika666]

Looking at the bite, my bet is on Lampetra fluviatilis. Not native to North America but what does that matter anymore? They look like sucker bites. Must be a clean lake - nice!

christ on a pony, that looks like a sand worm from Dune.

doesn't it kinda matter if it's native to the area? i mean, not that it's unheard of (ie boas in the Everglades), but doesn't that fuck with the ecosystem majorly?

[TheMorningStar]

christ on a pony, that looks like a sand worm from Dune.

doesn't it kinda matter if it's native to the area? i mean, not that it's unheard of (ie boas in the Everglades), but doesn't that fuck with the ecosystem majorly?

Damn right, there are examples of this everywhere. My favorite is an aquarium green that is taking over the Mediterranean Sea - taxifolia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caulerpa_taxifolia).
The asian carp in the Great Lakes are another good example. (http://www.time.com/time/health/arti...962108,00.html).
Then there is the Bufo marinus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane_toad) and the Australian rabbit problem (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbits_in_Australia).

The list is basically endless.

EDIT:
I forgot about The Giant Hogweed! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hogweed).

Attack of The Giant Hogweed

[MC30]

i say big catfish..http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...y/catfish1.jpg

[cheeseburgersanchez]

I grew up in an area of Tennessee where legend has it, the slave owners, after catching abolitionists helping slaves to freedom, would cut open the belly of the abolitionist, fill it with rocks, sew them back up, and sink them for the catfish. many of my friends refused to swim in the lakes around us because of these stories. And the fact that in certain areas we could see down into the lake at just how big those bad boys can get. So I will say catfish.

[Dneilz]

Looking at the bite, my bet is on Lampetra fluviatilis. Not native to North America but what does that matter anymore? They look like sucker bites. Must be a clean lake - nice!

I know in Michigan we have the lamprey traps... so the pic that The morning Star put up.... yup, it is quite possible. I guess those nasty fuckers will usually attach themselves to fish... but what the hell, I would suppose a human leg is much meatier

Actually... what we have are called eels, but they use lamprey traps. I just got educated. :) Oh wait... read further. We have BOTH! Nasty

[Dneilz]

Don't click on the link if you still want to swim in the Michigan lakes and rivers
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/eek/cr...rt/lamprey.htm

[Dark Star]

christ on a pony

LMAO That made me laugh out loud and I almost choked on my coffee. "Christ on a pony!!!!" Too funny!!!

[cheeseburgersanchez]

Interesting little bit of useless info about catfish. If you pick up a catfish, and stroke it under it's mouth on it's underside, it will make a 'purring' noise. kinda cool.