Are you sure is isn't a daylily? (they do enjoy wet places).

Almost anything wild in the lily family has about the same germination requirements. Plant seed immediatly after collection. Give three months domancy, then wait. It may even take a few seasons of dormancy before they come up. I'd almost given up on my Canada Lily seeds, and stuffed the pots out of the way when one day two seasons after planting they came up.

The other possibility is if you have a spot like where you found them, then just sow them directly and forget about them until they come up.

I don't think it's a day lily as I've never seen one that large. The leaves look very similar but are a bit wider and 5-6' long. It's not a cattail either as the seed pods are similar to an iris or lily. I planted them now I guess I'll just wait. Hopefully something will happen within the next few months or I'm afraid I'll forget about them. I wish I had a pond on my property. Unfortuantely I only have container bogs.
Karyn