A couple of summers ago a pair of fishermen were enjoying a day of fishing on a portage lake in the Crane Lake area when a wind came up and forced the pair to the lee side of an island while they waited for a boat to pick them up. They had used up all their bait except for one minnow which was lost when it was stuck by a big northern. With nothing to do but wait for their ride, one man left his baitless hook dangle in the water. He was surprised minutes later when the rod bent over and line started spooling off his reel. He set the empty hook and reeled in a 10-pound walleye from four feet of water. 
Contact: John Klaysmat 218-993-2379

Download all Crane Lake Stories in text format.