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Angler rescued on Little Pine
Published 11:43 a.m., December 7, 2009
A Glyndon fisherman was more embarrassed than hurt after he became stranded on a Perham area lake Saturday evening.
Twenty-seven-year-old Michael Huber was fishing for walleye on Little Pine Lake when ice closed in around his boat. Huber told the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office he had chopped ice on the lake to reach his fishing spot, but found the lake had frozen over when he attempted to backtrack the estimated 200 yards to shore a few hours later. His boat motor had broken, making it difficult for him to break the ice.
An onlooker from shore notified authorities around 7:30 p.m., bringing the sheriff’s office and fire/rescue units from Perham, Vergas and Ottertail to the scene.
Four Perham firefighters in cold water rescue suits attempted to reach Huber, but found it difficult to navigate through the breaking ice, said Perham Fire Chief Mark Schmidt. Vergas firefighters arrived with a one-person, walker-like pontoon system that spreads a person’s weight across the ice. A Perham firefighter used the walker to reach Huber’s location, where he tied rope to Huber’s boat.
“He was very cold, very tired,” Schmidt said of the angler.
About 16 firefighters on land pulled the boat to shore. The rescue lasted 45 to 60 minutes total.
“It was very good team work by the entire fire and sheriff’s departments,” Schmidt said. “The guys did a really good job with keeping themselves safe and helping out the fisherman.”
Huber was evaluated by Perham EMS and released at the scene, according to the sheriff’s office. Schmidt said he believed Huber suffered some frostbite as a result of the incident.
Huber later told The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead he was embarrassed by the ordeal, saying he felt awful for putting rescuers to work.
“It was a stupid move on my part,” he said. “Safety should probably come before fish.”
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