Fish bites boy

[IFallsRon]

And I'm a baby when I get nicked on the hand taking a hook out.

Fish bites boy

BY SAM COOK
NEWS TRIBUNE OUTDOORS WRITER

FISH ATTACK: An 11-year-old Silver Bay boy finds out what it feels like to be chomped on by a musky or a northern pike.

One moment, 11-year-old Mason DeRosier was hunting frogs. The next, he became the hunted.

Mason and his 9-year-old sister Katelyn were wading in about a foot of water on Island Lake, near Moose Lake, when he was attacked by a muskellunge or a northern pike. The resulting lacerations required 11 stitches.

Both kids are from Silver Bay and were at a family cabin on Island Lake when the incident occurred about 5 p.m. Thursday.

Mason's father, Richard DeRosier, was in a paddle boat just offshore and witnessed the event.

"I was facing them, and I see a hell of a swirl," said DeRosier, a Lake County deputy sheriff. "Before I can say 'Holy moly! Look at that!', all of a sudden the swirl is by their feet."

Mason saw the original swirl just offshore.

"It was like maybe 5 feet in front of us," Mason said. "Then it splashed right at my foot and bit me. It hurt."

And the fish didn't let go immediately.

"I smacked it in the head and tried to pry it off my foot," Mason said. "He let go, but he bit my hand."

Both children were screaming throughout the incident, their father said. Katelyn wasn't bitten.

Mason was taken in his grandfather's motorboat back to the cabin, where he washed his wounds. Then he was off to the hospital emergency room in Moose Lake. He received eight stitches in his left hand and three in the bottom of his right foot. He has numerous other bite marks across the top of his foot, his dad said.

"I'll bet he has 20 cuts on his foot and 10 cuts on his hand," Richard DeRosier said.

Nobody got a good look at the fish. Island Lake, just across Interstate 35 from Sand Lake in Pine County, has both muskies and northern pike, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Either species would be capable of inflicting the kind of wounds Mason suffered.

Because Mason's foot hurts too much to walk on, the family decided to postpone a planned trip to Valley Fair. Friday, Mason was back at the cabin recuperating.

But he and Katelyn weren't chasing any frogs.

[danny berg]

Can anybody say:

"Revenge of the Fish"

[jlm]

Alright all you fathers out there, don't get any "new bait" ideas spinning, your wife won't like it! Stick to plastic!

[morpho]

so i guess the trebble hook sshoe was a good idea..

[pikerliker]

I've got an 11 year old who is paranoid of just this thing happening to him!! I'll never let him see this article or he'll never set foot in a lake again! I'm sure the pike was feeding on the frogs and was probably trying to grab one when it grabbed the boys foot by mistake. It probably held on for a little bit because of reflex. I'm sure it would do some damage though! Skinny dipping anyone?

~piker

[The Grebe]

Once when I was a kid, I was sitting on the dock, dangling my feet in the water on a warm sunny day, thinking about whatever 12 year old boys think about, when the water exploded and about a 2 pound Northern latched onto my big toe!

As fast as he hit me, I instinctively pulled back and jerked him out of the water. He landed on the dock and then flopped back into the drink.

I made my way back to the cabin, blood all over my foot. My Ma thought I had cut my toe off, but upon cleaning it up, found I had several small, percision cuts that would'nt stop bleeding.

Years later I found out that those predatory fish have an anticoagulent in their mouth, that helps scent trail wounded prey.

It cured me of dangling my toes in the water to this day!

[Mueske]

After reading this article I have to wonder if the boy, after the traumatic event, has an idea of the general shape and color of the fish. I've never seen muskies or northerns do anything like this. I have seen bowfin chase adults and kids out of shallow water on beaches. They would temporarily beach themselves when pursuing waders when guarding their young that really were not even close to the shore. I just can't recall what their teeth looked like to know what kind of damage they could do. I just know they were ugly and mean. Poor kids. I hope they get over this OK.

Kevin

[The Grebe]

Pike and Muskies have kind of triangular shaped teeth, multiple razor sharp edges, that is one of the reasons they can cut you off so easy.

A Walleyes teeth are more round and don't have the cutting edges like the water wolves.

I believe the Dogfish has those same round type of teeth, not as big and more uniform.

[Lake Alice]

I caught about a 6lb dogfish on Bay Lake in July--the teeth were in fact more like a walleye, and did not seem like they could do much damage.. Certainly not 11 stitches.

Two weeks ago there was a big muskie cruising the swimming beach where we go on WBL. My kids ran for shore when it came out from under the dock in about two feet of water.

Be afriad. Be very afriad.

[buzzsaw]

Cue up the music to Jaws!!!

[2dalake]

A couple of years ago my then-six year old was sitting on the dock, dangling his feet in the water when I spotted a big bowfin just hanging there, about five feet away and a foot below, watching his feet. I pulled him up on the dock and tried casting for it but couldn't raise her. Talk about creepy.

That fish hung around for two years until my Dad finally caught it last August, it went 6.5 lbs.

[FishinChad]

About 10 years ago a kid got attacked in the netted off swimming area of lake rebecca. There's a few articles about it on the net. He had his had in the water and a muskie latched on, he needed alot of stitches. They pulled in the nets around the beach and found a muskie about 40" and a 9 lb walleye that were trapped in the beach, they got through a hole somewhere.

Muskie would never intentionally attack a human, but it does happen occationally when by chance one mistakes you for something else that is alot smaller. A foot or a hand looks like a good meal if the fish doesnt realize that its just a part of you. And they roam the shallows often and these things just happen. This is probably what happened here, muskie either thought his foot was something to eat or like said above, was going after a frog. Very rare occurance so dont be afraid to go out in the muskie lakes, i just wouldnt be on a raft dangling just my hand in the water, thats practically fishing for them.

------------------
"Better get the net!"
-Fishin Chad

[The Grebe]

Years ago, there used to be these old gents that would fish Mille Lacs with cane poles and big suckers and catch some huge Northerns.

One day I watched this old boy run out of gas fighting a big pike and the pole kept getting lower and lower, until he was pointing it right at the fish and "Pop" the line broke.

He was lamenting about that was his only bobber and he did'nt know what he was going to do. A young lad offer to swim out and get it for him, as it had popped up out aways and was just sitting there.

The old guy said sure, the kid swam out, came across the line, wrapped it around his hand and took a couple of strokes toward shore...all of a sudden he was being jerked around, the pike was still attached.

The kid fought it and got it in, but he had a hell of a time doing it, it was a whopper! I caught one that day that went over 16 pounds and that one was bigger.

Now heres my point....if a pike that size could jerk that kid around, what would happen if a 30 or 40 pound Muskie decided to take a bite out of you in deep water? He could drown you, or maybe the panic of getting bit would drown you?

Nah, in big Muskie waters, I think I'll stay at the shallow end of the pool!

Oh, by the way, the old guy was beeming about the fish, never even said thanks to the kid, his wife pulled up in a big old Lincoln, the fish went into the trunk, the pole was tied to the door handles and away they went!

[AndyW]

That kid's gonna have a heck of a story to tell for the rest of his life.

------------------
~Andy

[Deputy Grizz]

questions. What color hair did this kid have? and was he splashing alot at the surface, or was his bitten part submerged.
(hey..gotta know what they're bitin' on, ya know!)

[morpho]

another redheaded stepkid allmost bites the dust ....