Man catches giant snapping turtle

KINGS MOUNTAIN, N.C. -- Boaters, swimmers and fisherman have reported mysterious sightings along the Catawba River chain and, in particular, on Lake Wylie.

Now the man who caught an 85-pound snapping turtle has everyone wondering if that's the giant sea creature they've been seeing.

Reaching into a bin full of water, Nathan Morgan pulls out his biggest catch ever, and begins to tell his fish story.

"Fish weren't really biting too good. We were catching some brim and some bass," says Morgan.

And from there this fish tale gets a little less fishy, because Morgan and his buddy hooked a huge snapping turtle instead.

Morgan says the turtle bit his friend's line and his friend started reeling him in, but the line got caught.

More turtle images

"So I went out there in the water, maybe waist deep, and I was scared," says Morgan. "Didn't know if I was in the front or back of him. I felt his tail. I was hoping it was his tail."

Morgan says he was worried about his hands, especially because he makes his living as a welder.

The description of the turtle fits that of what many have been calling the Lake Wylie sea monster. Morgan's turtle is about the same size, has the same gnarly face, and the same dinosaur-like tail.

But as talk of Morgan's turtle is spreading, residents realize it's not the giant creature they've seen lurking in Lake Wylie. Morgan caught his snapper in a pond near Kings Mountain.

The State Department of Natural Resources says turtles can live up to 80 years old and one that's 85 pounds is definitely an old-timer.

But Morgan won't consider throwing him back saying, "It could take off hands or a foot easily from a child. We're waiting to see if the zoo wanted him. If not, we're gonna put him in a stew."