Illie of Iliamna Lake
In Alaska's biggest lake, pilots flying low have reported huge, dark shapes in the water, fish far longer than any boat.
What was reported
Iliamna Lake, in south-west Alaska, is the largest lake in the state, about 125 kilometres long and very deep. Local Alaska Native people and later settlers have told stories of huge creatures in it. In the 20th century, bush pilots flying over the lake reported seeing large, dark fish-like animals, some estimated at 3 to 9 metres long.
The creature, nicknamed Illie, drew attention in the 1970s, when a newspaper offered a reward for proof, and television crews later searched for it.
Explanations offered
No creature has been caught or clearly filmed. Suggestions include very large white sturgeon, which can grow over 6 metres, though they're not known in the lake, large lake trout or pike, or seals that may swim up from the sea. The lake is so remote that it has been little studied.
- When
- Reported for generations
- Where
- Iliamna Lake, Alaska, USA
- Witnesses
- Local residents, pilots and fishermen
- Status
- Unconfirmed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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