We were celebrating my birthday this last weekend in Northern Minnesota when I noticed a strange sight. I was sitting outside our camper when I saw a small aluminum fishing boat floating offshore with no one in it.

We were camping at the Biwabik Campground on Vermilion Trail.

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google maps
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At first, I assumed one of the people who was at the landing must have accidentally let it go, but nobody was going after the boat. Everyone seemed okay with the boat just floating off into the lake.

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I saw it was floating near the fishing pier and I had an idea. I always keep a couple of Zebco fishing rods for the kids in our camper storage area. I grabbed one of them that had a small jig on it and ran down to the pier.

Ken Hayes
Ken Hayes
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A few casts later I was able to snag something on the boat. It was about as far as I could cast the kid's fishing pole, but I got it hooked.

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For the next 10 minutes or so I worked carefully to gently pull the boat back to shore, being extra cautious not to break the 4 lb fishing line.

Ken Hayes
Ken Hayes
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I have to admit, I'm surprised that it worked. I was hopeful it would hold up, and with playing with the drag I was able to keep the line tight and not break it.

They had a ratchet strap on it, so I fastened it securely to a tree. I didn't want them to think someone tried to steal the boat or take it out without their knowledge, so I put a note in the front of the hull.

Ken Hayes
Ken Hayes
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I haven't been able to do a lot of fishing this year, but this was definitely my biggest catch. In case you were wondering, I was using a green jig, haha!

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