Class B First-hand BFRO #15310

Possible daylight sighting by fisherman near Bartow

BFRO YEAR: About 1995 afternoon or early evening Bartow, Polk County, Florida 1 witness

Account

The witness was fishing from a hilltop near a park in Bartow while companions checked lines. She noticed a dark, hairy form protruding chest-high from the water among reeds, seemingly staring at her. She stared back, testing the sighting by closing and averting her eyes, but when companions returned and she tried to point it out, it was gone.

Summary drafted by AI from the source report and checked by code before I publish it. The witness's own words remain with the publisher — read the original report .

What was reported

Every kind of observation in the account. Select one to find other encounters with it.

Sightings

Described appearance

In the source's own words, field by field. Hover a field's marker to see where it was read.

Hair colour src
black
Posture src
stuck out of the water at least chest high
Other features src
very dark colored, looked hairy

Facts & provenance

Each value names where it came from.

Time of day
afternoon or early evening
Stated BFRO report #15310 · BFRO report, “Time And Conditions” section
Place
Bartow, Polk County, Florida
Stated BFRO report #15310 · BFRO report, labelled fields: State, County, Nearest Town, Location Details, Nearest Road
Map point
27.86, -81.90 (± 8 km)
Stated BFRO map layer · BFRO published map layer · read with 85% confidence
BFRO map layer point for report 15310 with published boundary
Account type
First-hand
Stated BFRO report #15310 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witnesses
1
Derived BFRO report #15310 · BFRO report, “Other Witnesses” section
Figures reported
1
Derived BFRO report #15310 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witness was
fishing with others
Stated BFRO report #15310 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witness's word for it
something
Stated BFRO report #15310 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Source classification
Class B
Stated BFRO report #15310 · BFRO classification label

Evidence & investigation

What the source says was found or done. Claimed evidence is listed as claimed; the Anomadex has not examined it.

Investigated by
Caroline Curtis (BFRO)
Follow-up

An investigator spoke with the witness by phone and visited the location off County Route 555 but could not reach the exact spot due to a fence.

BFRO report, “Follow-Up” section

Source timeline

Every record this entry is built from, earliest known first. Records are versioned and never edited in place.

  1. Published 2006-07-24 Retrieved 2026-09-25 Version 1 Hash 1fb3e77d5555
    BFRO - Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization
  2. BFRO map layer Reference
    Retrieved 2026-09-24 Version 1 Hash cfb8a3d423b7
    BFRO - Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization

The report refers to

  • “a few”
    Not in the Anomadex yet