Swimming Squirrel

[fishercat]

Here are two pictures of a squirrel we saw swimming across the Connecticut River in Northfield, MA.  I am guessing that the river is around 1000 to 1200 feet across in that spot, with medium current.  Don't think he fell out of a tree, as his head and part of his tail were stilll dry.  It was pretty funny watching him keep his head above our boat wake!  Got to the other shore, looked at us, shook off, and took off up a tree.  The first picture was taken as he was about 2/3rds of the way across. 

[big walleye]

that squirrel is a new crank bait that I was trying for the day. Looks real eh    On a serious note that is a great shot. Never thought they would swim. Must be searching for some nuts in all the wrong places.

[fastribs85]

i think that squirrel is nuckin futs man that would make one heck of a pike or muskey lure wouldnt it just imagine it would be like fishing a popper for bass but about 100Xs better

[fozsey]

I have seen a squirrel do almost everything in my lifetime, but I have never seen one swim b4. That is a new one for me. They are one talented creature.

[USMC130FE]

I bet this squirrel hasn't seen the pictures of the 70+ inch pike on the other thread 

Steve

[slipbob]

 Swimming squirrels are not uncommon at all.  They can and will migrate for food sources including swimming across whatever is in the way of mast crops.  About 15 years ago there was an extremely dry summer in our area and on the one lake we fished a lot there were at times several squirrels crossing a reservoir close to a half mile wide.  It was all about the mast crop which was extremely poor that year forcing a large documented squirrel movement.  It was wild as you would be fishing and see swimming squirrels frequently.  It was September and very dry.  Swimming deer are another thing that's quite a sight.  Many mornings fishing on Cannonsville reservoir, a giant NYC water supply reservoir that is extremely remote, you would see small groups of deer crossing the expanse which in some places is a mile wide.  You would just see heads and a wake in the early morning fog.  Pretty cool stuff.

[Mugz]

I've seen them swim across a local pond here as well.........at first I thought they were either muscrat or otters but after a closer look, I realized they were squirels.....a rare site but I have seen this as well.

[Bartman44]

What Slip Bob said.

I was fishing the Esopus Creek one September a number of years ago and within an hour a saw at least 10 squirrels jump into the creek and swim across it.  It was weird.

That same week there was an article in the local newspaper about a squirrel migration that was happening.   

[Skiff]

I've never seen a squirrel swimming across open water before, good pictures!  I guess a number of us have seen deer, moose or bear in the water, but the only really amazing time I saw an animal in water was a bear in the middle of the Mackenzie River in the NWT (over a mile wide at that spot).  I don' t know if he was trying to cross, but he was being carried north at about 5 knots.  If he was aiming to migrate he was sure doing it the easy way.

[slipbob]

This research paper is based on a fine example of squirrel migration.  Again it does happen more than you think but the big events are less common and depend on mast crops.
http://www.myoutbox.net/flyger.htm 

[Barleydog]

Funny lookin' beaver!! 

[Hookset]

I bet it tastes like chicken...

[Original FISHER Jodoin]

I have see alot of dea floaters, never a swimming one though!

[PERCH INC.]

Pike bait!!!!

[shrub]

im sure a pike would eat him, my dad was telling me anout an ariticale he was reading in the locale paper a few years back, some bird wachers were watching a rare bird that was sitting on a lilly pad on a pond and BAM it dissapers under the pond, the fish and game figured it was a big northern, now the bird watchers are going to want us to kill all the pike we catch so the pike wont kill the birds