A Minnesota angler was hospitalized after an arrow-like object from firework debris pierced his foot and pinned it to the floor of his kayak while he fished at night on Fish Lake.
Cory Hendrickson was walleye fishing from his kayak on the evening of August 10, 2026, near Fredenberg Township in St. Louis County when he noticed a group of people on the shore. Fireworks began launching toward the water. Seconds later he heard a noise in the air, looked up with his red headlamp on, and the object struck.
“And then a matter of seconds later, I hear this noise in the air, and I had my headlamp, my red headlamp, and I looked up, and all of a sudden, the arrow came down right into impaled my foot, right into the bottom of my kayak,”
Hendrickson said in interviews with local reporters.
The projectile went through his foot and lodged in the kayak, leaving him unable to lift his leg. He screamed. The people on shore drove away. Hendrickson called for help. First responders instructed him to stay on the water until they reached him.
St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office deputies, Fredenberg Fire, Fredenberg First Responders, and Mayo Ambulance arrived at the Fish Lake Boat Landing at 5664 Fish Lake Dam Road around 9:48 p.m. Rescuers had to cut the shaft in two places, above the foot and underneath the kayak, to free him.
“I could not lift my foot off my kayak. So they had to cut the top off the arrow, and then underneath my foot, they also had to cut in order for me to move my foot,”
Hendrickson said.
He was treated at the scene and transported to a Duluth-area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Hendrickson was released early the next morning on crutches. He later said he felt lucky the injuries were not worse and was waiting for a follow-up appointment to learn the full extent of the damage.
The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office described the object as what appeared to be a piece of firework debris. Hendrickson and some local reports referred to it as an arrow or arrow-like projectile. Authorities said the individuals who had been launching fireworks left the area in a vehicle before deputies arrived. No suspects have been publicly identified.
Hendrickson, described as an avid fisherman familiar with Minnesota waters, said the experience changed how he approaches nighttime fishing.
“Who would have thought? You know, you go out fishing, and you end up taking an arrow to the foot,”
he said. He advised others to keep their heads on a swivel and added he probably would not fish that location at night again, though he would not discourage people from going.
The incident remains under investigation by the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office. Anyone with information is asked to call 218-336-4350.
