# Mysterious Creature In Tiki Canals "CHUPA-AGUA"?



## Over The Top

Last week, a couple of guys I know, on three different nights, caught fish under the lights and put them in a 50 gallon submerged bait barrel to hold until they could be cleaned the next morning. Every morning the fish were gone. After the first night, thinking the tide may have come over the top and the fish escaped , the lid was tied shut with a small rope. During the second night after the fish were caught and in the barrell, with the secured lid, a loud banging sound woke one of them up. He came running down to the dock where the barrel was, thinking he would find a "two legged" fish thief caught in the act. Instead, he saw a large black or dark brown animal slither off the dock and into the water. It was as large as a fat labrador retreiver without legs or very short legs. All of the fish were gone. The next night after the fish were caught, they were put into a "boobie trapped" barrel designed to trap the creature. The next morning, all the fish were gone except for 2 fish heads and scales all over the dock. After going through all of the reasonable possibilities, a large Nutria would seem to be a logial explanation except that Nutria are vegetarians.
Any theories??


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## Poncho

Otter.


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## 007

Are you sure it wasn't Gary?


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## Stumpgrinder

I'm sorry. It was me in a wet suit.

I was practicing to start an over 280 lb civilian seal team in case we get invaded by Canada. I got hungry.

Need more work on dock stealth.


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## MsAddicted

Wow, it does sound like an otter. I sure would be surprised to see one in that area though. Not that we havent seen them in the bays but usually not where people are.


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## iridered2003

except that Nutria are vegetarians.

not in tiki??? put a vid cam out there next time and try to catch it in the act.


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## jamesgreeson

Trail cam..slash night scope kapow problem solved lol.


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## grandpa cracker

Stumpgrinder, Sorry but I`m out of green, funny reply lmao.


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## bac430

My neighbors caught an otter stealing croaker out of my bait barrell (in Tiki) before the hurricane. I was wondering if it survived the storm. I put a latch on my barell and the problem was solved. What canal do you live on? He was hanging out around Short Reach.


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## txjoker

http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/tmot1/lutrcana.htm


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## MsAddicted

grandpa cracker said:


> Stumpgrinder, Sorry but I`m out of green, funny reply lmao.


Gotcha covered!


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## Over The Top

mwb007 said:


> Are you sure it wasn't Gary?


 Gary who?


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## kenny

We have a lot of otters around here, or did before the storm. I see them some time alone or in pairs. They get fish carcasses off the bottom below my buddies cleaning table and come up on the dock to eat them. They have also mated on the deck, screaming and biting until they rolled off the dock into the water to, ahhhh...........finish!


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## myprozac

Id agree on the otter. Iv seen them in my canal at tiki before. Like others said a trail cam will let you know exactly what your dealing with. Plus the pictures would be pretty cool to see.


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## MsAddicted

Interesting. we dont seem to have any in bayou vista, just alot of cormorants


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## sandollr

Is this a scary story for Halloween?


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## Over The Top

bac430 said:


> My neighbors caught an otter stealing croaker out of my bait barrell (in Tiki) before the hurricane. I was wondering if it survived the storm. I put a latch on my barell and the problem was solved. What canal do you live on? He was hanging out around Short Reach.


 The canal between Leilani and Tahiti......opens to Jones Lake


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## chickenboy

I just got home from fishing, put in at FatBoys at 2PM and I think I just encountered what you are talking about. I was by myself and tied up at the FatBoys dock this evening around 7PM and went to get my truck, I had 9 keeper flounder in the ice chest, all caught along the cedars on the Galveston Ship Channel, while on the dock I heard something slam shut really hard, sounded like someone slamming a ice chest lid really hard, I didn't think anything of it, until I got to Hitchcock and was putting my boat in the stall, as I lifted the ice chest out to set it in my truck bed, I instantly noticed the ice chest was extremely light, I lifted the lid and all my flounder were gone.


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## Over The Top

This thing has gotten extremely agressive and has an insatiable appetite. It is desribed as weighing between 40 and 60 lbs...much larger than an Otter. Maybe this is somehow related to the Hurricane?


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## hilldo

All I know is the "chupa verga" has not been seen around my house in a looooonnnnng time.


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## rdhdfmn

Sounds like you need to call Johnny Quest!!!!


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## 100% Texan

I second calling Johny Quest he will camp outside your place and watch out for them fish you are saveing plus he will get rid of squirrels and rats and anything else that is in season.lol


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## 007

hilldo said:


> All I know is the "chupa verga" has not been seen around my house in a looooonnnnng time.


..


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## Sharkbite

You should check around your front door and/or dock to see if someone put a mysterious "X" on it. They might be back!

SB


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## sandollr

This IS a scary Halloween story! I knew it!


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## tec

Looterman?


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## haparks

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: looter guy lol


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## Over The Top

What we do know about this creature "Chupa-Agua" is that it is very large, is able to get up on the dock from the water during low tide, can eat 12 fish in one sitting including a 20 inch trout and a 22 inch redfish, is smart enough to open the lid that was tied up, and smart enough to not get caught and escape the boobie trap barrel designed to allow it to go in the barrel to corral the live fish but not to get out .......plus now another incident at Fat Boys, also on Jones Lake, 8 Flounder gone from an ice chest in a matter of minutes from leaving it there....?????


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## Mrschasintail

hilldo said:


> All I know is the "chupa verga" has not been seen around my house in a looooonnnnng time.


lmao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:rotfl:


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## Hooked Up

Over The Top said:


> What we do know about this creature "Chupa-Agua" is that it is very large, is able to get up on the dock from the water during low tide, can eat 12 fish in one sitting including a 20 inch trout and a 22 inch redfish, is smart enough to open the lid that was tied up, and smart enough to not get caught and escape the boobie trap barrel designed to allow it to go in the barrel to corral the live fish but not to get out .......plus now another incident at Fat Boys, also on Jones Lake, 8 Flounder gone from an ice chest in a matter of minutes from leaving it there....?????


 Well, That pretty much rules out Gary







 H/U


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## mastercylinder60

littlefoot.


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## bedicheck

that's very strange. seems like it'd have to have fingers, at least. what in the heck besides a person could get 9 flounder out of a cooler so quickly?


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## Over The Top

Is it possible it could be a very large Nutria that has given up a vegetarian diet for fish??


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## TheAnt

They do eat fitches when they run outta hydrilla


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## TRACERP

Stumpgrinder said:


> I'm sorry. It was me in a wet suit.
> 
> I was practicing to start an over 280 lb civilian seal team in case we get invaded by Canada. I got hungry.
> 
> Need more work on dock stealth.


LMAO.....Cool .......Where can I get on that action!!!!


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## 007

I still think it's gary


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## Bayscout22

Whatever it is... It's expecting a meal from your dock. Put some fish in, set up a video camera. It will definitely be back.


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## kenny

it's otters......


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## bedicheck

it's always one thing or an otter...


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## hilldo

I've found it!!!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081102/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_mexico_water_monster


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## Aggieangler

hilldo said:


> All I know is the "chupa verga" has not been seen around my house in a looooonnnnng time.


Green to you....not green with envy though....ROFL


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## Hullahopper

MsAddicted said:


> Wow, it does sound like an otter. I sure would be surprised to see one in that area though. Not that we havent seen them in the bays but usually not where people are.


I agree with Kaylin, it was most likely an otter. I have seen a couple in our canal in Terramar over the years.


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## Fishinrob

*Copano Bay Chupacabra steals fish from docks*









Taken July 6, 2007 in Holiday Beach


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## hilldo

Aggieangler said:


> Green to you....not green with envy though....ROFL


:rotfl::rotfl:


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## Shallow Sport68

Fishinrob said:


> Taken July 6, 2007 in Holiday Beach


 I don't care how old the Creature from the black loggon is, it's still scary as heell!!!! My worst nightmare...


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## Dunc

I've seen otters on my dock before. When it snowed a few years back, they left trails where they slid down the lawn into the water.


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## bentman

OTTER.....I work at Ineos Chocolate bayou & we have them in the ditches. You can get pretty close to them before they take off.


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## bzrk180

Poncho said:


> Otter.


YUP!!

I have seen otters in Bayou Vista, San Leon and found one on the highway in High Island once. I was amazed at how big they were.


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## selder

i've seen otters as far up the ship channel as the 610 bridge. my bet's on the otter. i'd leave him a couple of fish just to keep him around.


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## REEL CRAZY

We caught this one on a trail cam at my buddies house in Bayou Vista. We hunted him down the next day. He wont be bothering anyone else!


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## speckledred

Yep, if they start stealing your cold brew there has to be a reckoning!


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## Lord of the Salmon

This explains what the hell happened to the trout carcasses I left out on the patio by the dock yesterday evening. I was planning on baiting the crab traps with a few spec skeletons, left them out, ate dinner upstairs, came back down and the 5 gallon bucket is tipped over and the fish parts were gone. The bastid ganked by bait...

BTW, I am staying in the yellow house off of the canal trifurgation at the end of Westerly...


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## Dan Palmer

Otters are *not* vegetarians.


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## Over The Top

Has anyone ever heard of Nutria giving up a vegetarian diet for fish?


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## Over The Top

?


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## TexasRL2

Otter..Ive seen them several times in various canals on the west end of Galveston.


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## CajunBob

All that was an endagered Red snapper getting even!!! LOL


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## redslayer

yea i heard about this from my neighboors down on tiki, im off the leilani and wahini way canal, i say prob otter, but then who knows wats all out of place with ike


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## tokavi

Poncho said:


> Otter.


What he said. Once they find a free meal they become quite the nuicience. Smart and can eat a ton. You should see what they do when they find out crawfish traps have crawfish in them!


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## Levelwind

Lord of the Salmon said:


> This explains what the hell happened to the trout carcasses I left out on the patio by the dock yesterday evening. I was planning on baiting the crab traps with a few spec skeletons, left them out, ate dinner upstairs, came back down and the 5 gallon bucket is tipped over and the fish parts were gone. The bastid ganked by bait...
> 
> BTW, I am staying in the yellow house off of the canal trifurgation at the end of Westerly...


Mr. Otter might have saved you a ticket. Illegal to use sport fish for bait. Yes I know it's silly.


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## explorer05

*Sportfish Carcasses*

I am not too sure it's illegal to use the carcass as bait, the crabbers in matagorda use the carcasses left at the cleaning table at the harbor for their crab traps. Surely if it was illegal, TPW would have shut that down.


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## bayourat

explorer05 said:


> I am not too sure it's illegal to use the carcass as bait, the crabbers in matagorda use the carcasses left at the cleaning table at the harbor for their crab traps. Surely if it was illegal, TPW would have shut that down.


it's illegal.


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## Levelwind

explorer05 said:


> I am not too sure it's illegal to use the carcass as bait, the crabbers in matagorda use the carcasses left at the cleaning table at the harbor for their crab traps. Surely if it was illegal, TPW would have shut that down.


Just proves most GWs have common sense. It is indeed technically illegal, but using filleted carcasses hurts nothing and is kind of an "unintended consequence" of the law. People have been cited for that very thing, though and paid substantial fines. Before everyone labels me a Jr Game Warden, I just thought everyone might be interested. Might save you a ticket some day if, for instance, you have a GW with a grudge against you, a newbie, etc.


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## SA-POC

*Game Cam*

Someone put a game cam out and get the picture.


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## Lord of the Salmon

Levelwind said:


> Just proves most GWs have common sense. It is indeed technically illegal, but using filleted carcasses hurts nothing and is kind of an "unintended consequence" of the law. People have been cited for that very thing, though and paid substantial fines. Before everyone labels me a Jr Game Warden, I just thought everyone might be interested. Might save you a ticket some day if, for instance, you have a GW with a grudge against you, a newbie, etc.


I've heard this but I have also heard the enforcement is pretty lax, especially on private property. I could see someone getting a ticket for it only if they really, really ****** the guy off...sort of like getting a speeding ticket for going 2 miles over the speed limit. You have to either really be an *** or be driving in Tiki or Bayou Vista....


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