Crews rescue 200 anglers from sheet of ice on Upper Red

Crews rescue 200 anglers from sheet of ice on Upper Red

Author: Outdoor News
Published: December 6, 2022

Check out this article from Outdoor News.

“Anglers are always eager to hit the ice to take advantage of the early hard-water bite, but an incident on Upper Red Lake in northern Minnesota on Monday illustrates the risks that can come with venturing onto late November ice.

The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call at approximately 11:34 a.m. on Nov. 28 from individuals fishing on Upper Red. The callers indicated that a large chunk of ice had broken free from the shoreline. Deputies and first responders arrived on the scene to find a large portion of the ice broken free, with up to 30 yards of open water between shore ice and anglers stranded on the wayward floe.

By 2:37 p.m., the sheriff’s office reported, everyone requiring evacuation from the ice had been reached, and emergency responders cleared the scene. A press release issued by the sheriff’s office said an estimated 200 individuals were evacuated from the ice.

A narrow spot of open water between shore ice and the ice floe had been identified, and a temporary bridge was set up for anglers to walk across near JR’s Corner Access – one of the resorts where anglers are able to get onto the ice.

JR’s Corner Access owner Adam Studniski was not on the scene Monday, but said he was in continual contact with his business partner, Ryan Klein, as Klein helped set up the bridge and worked with local first responders in getting anglers off the ice.

“It was super-chill, absolutely zero panic,” Studniski said. “At about 11:30, Ryan called me and said, ‘Adam, the ice is shifting out.’ I said, ‘How many people are out there?’ He said, ‘Over 100 between the three neighboring resorts.’ He just said it’s going to catch, it’s not going to be a big deal. He said, ‘I just got to find a pinch and put a bridge.’ By about 12:30, we had a bridge and started going out, talking to people.”

Studniski said some anglers were so calm about the situation that they asked to keep fishing in an attempt to reach their walleye limits.”

The full article can be found with this link.

Photo Credit: Original Author


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