I remember reading about the 11 foot sturgeon. Folks saw it jump a few times and reported it as some type of Loch Ness monster! lol
I read that biologist believe the fish was actually released into the lake in 1908. That is the year the Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition was held on the UW campus. They had live sturgeon on display there. After the expo ended, the fish were dumped into Lake WA.
That 11 foot fish was likely well over 100 years old when it died. With little or no angling pressure and lots of dead stuff to eat on the lake bottom, you can see how it could have easily grown to that size.
Brian
Brian