A kayak fisherman captured a once-in-a-lifetime scene on a New York lake.
PublishedOctober 13, 2025 11:20 AM EDT•UpdatedOctober 13, 2025 11:08 AM EDT
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Well, I learned something new today: bald eagles can swim.
And I don’t mean they can swim like ducks can swim. They don’t gracefully glide across the water, paddling their feet below the surface. I mean they swim like people swim — body half-submerged, wings flapping in rhythm, propelling themselves through the water like feathered Olympians.
That’s exactly what one kayak fisherman in New York captured on video, and it’s one of the coolest wildlife moments you’ll see all year.
Watch:
“Guys check this out,” said Jake Stem, who posted the video to Instagram. “I saw him go down and slam onto a fish way out in the lake, and now he’s been swimming… Way bigger than what he can take out of the water.”
In the video, the bald eagle holds a massive lake trout in its talons and swims across the surface of the water, wings flapping like paddles. Unable to fly off with its oversized catch, the bird drags it all the way to shore, climbs out and proceeds to feast.
“One of the CRAZIEST things I’ve seen on the water!!” Stem wrote. “I heard this BIG splash into the water and saw this eagle a ways away in the water. After a few minutes I saw it getting close to shore so figured it was dragging a big fish. So cool to see!!”
Honestly, it’s hard to imagine a more American wildlife moment — a bald eagle crashing into a lake, muscling a huge trout to shore and refusing to give up on dinner.
Bald eagles are known for their strength and hunting skills, but this one put on a full triathlon: air, water, land. Adapt and overcome, baby.
They didn’t make it our national bird for nothing.
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