Written Confession: Unexplained Rock Throwing During a Night Fishing Trip on Norris Lake

The following written confession was submitted via email:

I have always loved being outdoors and I grew up in the woods playing and exploring every chance I would get. That interest grew with me into my adult life. So hunt, fish, explore, you name it. 

So a few years ago I was doing a lot of night fishing for catfish. A lot of times I would take the pontoon boat out and  just be out there alone almost all night. Never bothered me. I mean I was armed of course.  I did this a lot and never had any problems. I would also just go fish off the bank sometimes at night and build a fire. 

So one night instead of going by myself I got my wife to come with me. We were just going to go fish off the bank. Probably build a fire and just enjoy the peace. The location is Norris Lake,  more specifically the Sharps Chapel area. 

That area is a whole other story just by itself.  We parked and walked to the area . . . it’s still secluded as far as if something happened nobody would see or hear you unless by boat.  

Now we are there and have our lines in the water. I’m walking around picking up sticks for a fire. The sun is starting to set. I’m prepared for 3-4 hours. So I finally get situated and start enjoying just sitting. We’ve been there maybe 45 minutes, not dark yet but almost dark. Then out of nowhere my wife was like “I’m ready to leave”. I’m in shock and kind of aggravated. I was like “we just got situated and I usually stay for several hours”. She was insistent on leaving. Then she finally told me that she just started having a bad feeling. Like someone was watching us or something was going on. I have been a Christian my whole life and she has been since her teen years. So when she said she had a bad feeling I was in agreement that okay let’s leave.  She never does stuff like this so I think yeah must be legit. 

So I pack up.  It’s getting pretty dark. We may have ¼-½ mile walk back. Now I start getting that feeling and we start picking up the pace. We make it back to the truck and didn’t really talk a lot about it. 

So fast forward about 2 weeks. I go back to the same spot and bring my older brother. Same time of day and sun is starting to set. We build a fire and while I’m walking the beach picking up sticks I hear a twig snap in the woods. Instantly I think we must have a deer back there. Neither of us got spooked at all. 

Now we’ve been there about 2 hours and it’s full dark with clear skies. I’ve heard more twigs snap, but it’s like one every 10 minutes or so. Never thought anything and definitely had forgotten about the time 2 weeks earlier when my wife got that bad feeling.  Just figured it was deer.  

At this point around 2 hours we hear and splash out probably 50-60 feet in front of us. We both look at each other like “that was strange” but we aren’t spooked. We thought maybe it was a fish that jumped. A little while later another splash and this time I’m like that was the splash of a rock. I grew up with a pond and I know the sound of a rock hitting the water really well. Spent many hours of my life throwing rocks in that pond. 

So now there has been 2 splashes and I’m thinking somebody is pretty balsy coming out here trying to run us off. I thought someone must want to fish right here.  So I walk off to the shadows and leave my brother by the fire. I’m going to “flank” whoever this is or at least surprise them. Then another rock that sounds a little bigger. 

Now I’m getting mad. I am off to the side and I throw a few rocks back in the woods my self to see if I hear a reaction, nothing happens. So I get my gun out which was only a 380 that held 7 rounds. I think about popping a couple off, but then was like I need to save ammo.  Then I remember I have this expensive flashlight that is super bright in my back pack. I go back to the fire and get it. I think okay I’m about to light these woods up. This is like the new police lights. Got it at our uniform place.  I point it towards the woods and preparing to see someone and don’t know if there is going to be a confrontation, but here we go. I push the button and the flashlight comes on for like a second and then dies! Then it won’t come back on. 

Anyway the rocks start happening more frequently my flashlight won’t work. I’m not sure if it was just dead or something else was going on. Never really had that problem.  The rocks are getting bigger and for them to make it out of the woods all the way to the water and that far out would be really tough. Someone really strong would have to be throwing them. 

It’s about 3 and a half hours in now and at this point we are kind of spooked and decided to pack it up. We couldn’t get our stuff packed up fast enough. More rocks and that bad feeling really started setting in. We are walking out and I feel like I see the shadows of someone about to step out, but they never do. I know the mind can play tricks, but to this day I haven’t been back there to that place. I have been there a lot before too.