There Should Have Been Another Boat Out There

I’ve gone fishing on Lake Lanier for years, and I’ve seen plenty of strange things out on the water, but this is the one thing I’ve never been able to explain.

This happened several years ago. I got to the lake before sunrise because I wanted to get out before it got crowded. There was some fog on the water that morning, which isn’t unusual.

As I was heading into a cove, I noticed what looked like another fishing boat sitting out ahead of me. I remember thinking whoever it was must have gotten there before I did because they looked completely set up already. I could make out the shape of the boat and what looked like somebody standing in it.

I kept moving toward the cove and eventually lost sight of it when the fog shifted. I didn’t think much about it.

A few minutes later, I noticed it again.

It looked like the same boat. Same general area. The same person is standing there.

Then the fog moved through again, and it was gone.

This happened several times. I would catch sight of it, then lose it. Every time I saw it, it looked like an actual boat. Not just a random shape in the fog.

Eventually, the sun came up higher and most of the fog burned off.

That’s when I realized there wasn’t another boat anywhere in that cove.

I sat there for a minute looking around because I honestly expected to see somebody fishing nearby. There wasn’t anyone.

I’ve spent enough time outdoors to know fog can play tricks on your eyes, so maybe that’s all it was. But what sticks with me is how consistent it looked every single time I saw it.

I still fish Lanier, and every now and then, when there’s fog sitting low on the water, I find myself looking out across the lake, wondering if I’ll see that boat again.