Toward a Unifying Theory of Lake Monsters

On Fourth of July weekend in 1993, Charles Douglas was out on Lake Erie, along the U.S.-Canadian border, fishing for perch, when he first saw something dark, just under the surface of the water. It was, he estimated, about 30 feet long, and moving fast. He gunned his boat’s engine up to 30 knots, but the thing—whatever it was—kept pace. Twice he turned his boat around and tried to drive towards it, only to watch it disappear.