(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Cpt. Ernesto Amparan was leading a routine Thin Blue Line Fishing tour on Lake Michigan Saturday, between Evanston and Wilmette, when he spotted what he thought was a body floating in the water.
Amparan, a retired Chicago police officer, called in the sighting to authorities and continued to approach what he described as a white object.
“As we get closer, I’m like: ‘Holy crap. This is not a body. It’s a sturgeon,’” Amparan said.
The boat captain said he was taking a group of doctors out on the tour, so between their expertise and his experience — they were ready to help if it had indeed been a body.
Instead, they pulled a sturgeon that was more than 5 feet in length and weighed over 100 pounds.
“I’ve been fishing on that lake since I was 3 years old,” Amparan told WBBM. “That’s the first time I’ve ever come across a sturgeon on Lake Michigan.
“You have a lot of memorable trips, but this one right here is probably the most memorable so far,” he said.