35 Fishermen Rescued From Ice Near Park Point

Strong winds created crack in ice stranding fishermen

DULUTH, Minn. – Thirty-six ice fishermen and their equipment were stranded on St. Louis Bay after strong northeastern winds created a crack in the ice with open water.

At about 10:40 a.m. Saturday, officials removed thirty-five fishermen and their equipment using a ladder, three rapid deployment craft, and a boat from four locations between Duluth Rowing Club and Sky Harbor Airport.

One fisherman entered the water and made it to shore on his own.

St. Louis County Rescue conducted a final sweep of the bay side of Park Point and confirmed all parties were off the ice.

The Park Point shoreline looked a lot different on Saturday afternoon than it had only a few hours before.

“People were anticipating four to five inches of ice and that was true, what they didn’t factor in was the wind that was coming off the lake,” said Rory Strange, a Park Point resident who watched the situation unfold.

Strange and his neighbors saw about ten fishermen trapped on the ice in St. Louis Bay after a massive crack formed between them and the point.

“It can happen so fast and people that have lived down here for years kind of expected it,” said Strange. “Once they heard what was going to be happening with the wind, they really expected it and I think that’s why the response was so quick.”

The Duluth Fire Department, St. Louis County Rescue Team, Minnesota DNR and U.S. Coast Guard rushed to the scene.

“At that point, there was probably two hundred feet of ice and then there was a fifty foot crack and then they were out on the ice beyond that,” said Acting Assistant Chief, Mark Herman of the Duluth Fire Department.

Thirty-six people were trapped on the ice between 37th Street South and the Sky Harbor Airport.

“We had to use a special watercraft that we use just for ice rescue at this point to slide out there and then we paddled it across to the individuals that were stuck on the ice and then we used ropes to pull the people back and forth and pull them off the ice,” said Herman.

One fisherman made it to the shore himself, the other thirty-five were rescued by first responders.

No injuries have been reported but officials say Saturday’s rescue should serve as a reminder to always check conditions and the weather forecast before going out onto ice.

“We have sportsmen, we have people that enjoy the outdoors, love the outdoors up here, that’s why we live here, but when the weather changes we have to be prepared for it. We have to be dressed for it and we have to know that the lake could open like you see behind me here,” said Herman.