A peaceful evening of walleye fishing took an alarming turn for Minnesota angler Cory Hendrickson on Fish Lake in St. Louis County.
Hendrickson was fishing from his kayak near Fredenberg on the evening of Aug. 10 when he noticed a group of people on shore. According to an Aug. 11 report from Fox 21 News, fireworks were launched toward the lake. Just seconds later, Hendrickson heard something moving through the air. When he looked up, an arrow struck his foot.
“Who would have thought? You know, you go out fishing, and you end up taking an arrow to the foot,” Hendrickson told Fox 21 News.
The arrow reportedly penetrated Hendrickson’s foot and continued into the bottom of his kayak, leaving him unable to lift his foot. Hendrickson called for help after the incident. First responders instructed him to remain on the water until they arrived. Because the arrow had effectively pinned his foot to the kayak, rescuers had to cut it in two places before he could be freed.
“I could not lift my foot off my kayak,” Hendrickson told Fox 21. “So they had to cut the top off of the arrow, and then underneath my foot, they also had to cut in order for me to move my foot.”
Hendrickson was taken to a hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening. He was released early the following morning with crutches. He was still waiting for a follow-up appointment to determine the full extent of his injuries.
No Suspect Identified
According to the Fox 21 report, the people Hendrickson had seen on shore left the area after he was struck. Police have not identified a suspect and are continuing to investigate.
The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office’s publicly available press releases do not currently show a release identifying a suspect or announcing an arrest in the Fish Lake incident.
At this point, there is no public evidence establishing the shooter’s identity or explaining the motive, so it would be premature to assume exactly what happened on shore. Anyone with information about the incident is being asked to contact the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office.
A Reminder For Anglers On The Water
Hendrickson said he isn’t trying to discourage other anglers from fishing Fish Lake. But his experience has changed how he views nighttime fishing.
“Just keep your head on a swivel,” he said, adding that he probably wouldn’t fish there at night again.
That’s particularly relevant for kayak anglers. A low-profile kayak can be difficult to see from shore, especially after dark, while an angler on the water may have little ability to determine what people on the shoreline are doing. Hendrickson was wearing a red headlamp when he heard the arrow approaching.
Anglers Have Been Caught in the Line of Fire Before
Hendrickson’s experience on Fish Lake is unusual, but anglers have encountered another potentially deadly hazard from shore: stray gunfire. In 2017, Florida fisherman Lawrence Ramdass was killed while fishing in the Holey Land Wildlife Management Area after being struck by gunfire. Ramdass was fishing from a boat with two other people when shots rang out. His companions jumped from the boat, and when they returned, they found Ramdass had been shot. The circumstances surrounding the shooting remained unclear, with investigators looking at a nearby shooting range as a source to where the gunfire originated.
Other anglers have been lucky enough to escape with a scare. While fishing Lake Barkley in Kentucky, bass angler Jess Stevens heard gunfire coming from nearby woods. A .22-caliber bullet subsequently landed inside his bass boat. The bullet reportedly came to rest near the passenger seat, turning an ordinary bass-fishing trip into a potentially life-threatening encounter.
In another incident reported by Wired2Fish, two musky anglers were fishing when a .22-caliber bullet struck the front of their boat, narrowly missing one of the fishermen. The anglers believed someone nearby was target shooting, although it wasn’t clear whether the bullet had ricocheted before hitting the boat. Regardless of exactly how the round got there, the incident illustrates how quickly recreational shooting near a body of water can become dangerous for people who may be completely unaware they are in the line of fire.
A similar near miss was captured on video by an angler fishing a neighborhood pond. According to the account, people on an adjacent property were shooting when a stray bullet appeared to zip past the fisherman’s head and hit the water nearby. The footage was subsequently featured by fishing media, providing a startling example of just how little warning an angler may have when gunfire is taking place nearby.
Incidents like these are extremely rare, and anglers shouldn’t view them as a routine hazard. But the handful of documented cases show just how quickly an otherwise ordinary day on the water can become dangerous. The Fish Lake incident is even more unusual, with an arrow actually striking and pinning an angler’s foot to his kayak.
The Investigation Continues
As of the latest available information, there is no publicly announced suspect or arrest in the Fish Lake case. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office remains the agency to contact with information that could help investigators determine who was responsible.
