The search has ended for a fisherman from Roane Mountain, Tn., who went missing after an apparent collision with an island on Watauga Lake just upstream of Fish Springs Marina.
Members of the Carter County Rescue Squad recovered the body of the missing fisherman from the lake at approximately 5:12 p.m. on Sunday by use of an underwater remote operated vehicle. The identity of the victim is being withheld until Monday by a mutual agreement between the TWRA and the victim’s family.
TWRA officers were notified Sunday morning about an unoccupied bass boat that was found by a fisherman around 10 a.m. Another witness in a nearby sailboat reported that they had noticed the unoccupied bass boat in the same area Saturday around 10 p.m. and that the vessel was displaying its navigation lights.
The victim apparently launched his boat yesterday at Rat Branch boat ramp several miles downstream of the accident scene. Officers located the truck and empty trailer and notified the then-missing fishermen’s family who informed them that he sufferered from several medical conditions.
TWRA officers and investigators have requested an autopsy and the accident remains under investigation.