09-08-2004, 03:10 AM
[/url][font "Arial"][#000000][size 4]Large esox attacks lad[/size][/#000000][/font]
[font "Arial"][#000000][size 4][/size][/#000000][/font] [font "Arial"][#000000][size 2]Associated Press
Duluth, Minn. — An 11-year-old Silver Bay boy was out hunting frogs on Island Lake, about 40 miles southwest of Duluth, when he became the prey.
A large fish, probably a muskellunge (esox masquinongy) or a northern pike (esox lucious), attacked the boy about 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 26, as he and his young sister were wading in a foot of water.
The resulting wounds on Mason DeRosier’s feet and hands required 11 stitches to close.
Mason’s father, Richard DeRosier, was in a paddle boat just offshore during the attack.
DeRosier, a Lake County deputy sheriff, said he was facing the children when he saw a huge swirl in the water.
“Before I can say ‘Holy moley! Look at that!’, all of a sudden the swirl is by their feet,” he said.
Mason said he saw the fish splash 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.”
It didn’t let go. “I smacked it in the head and tried to pry it off my foot,” Mason said. “He let go, but he bit my hand.”
The sister wasn’t hurt.
Mason was taken in back to the family’s cabin to wash the wounds, then he was off to the hospital in nearby 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.
Island Lake has both muskies and northern pike, according to the Minnesota DNR. Either species would be capable of inflicting the kind of wounds Mason suffered.
The fish remains at large.[/size][/#000000][/font]
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[font "Arial"][#000000][size 4][/size][/#000000][/font] [font "Arial"][#000000][size 2]Associated Press
Duluth, Minn. — An 11-year-old Silver Bay boy was out hunting frogs on Island Lake, about 40 miles southwest of Duluth, when he became the prey.
A large fish, probably a muskellunge (esox masquinongy) or a northern pike (esox lucious), attacked the boy about 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 26, as he and his young sister were wading in a foot of water.
The resulting wounds on Mason DeRosier’s feet and hands required 11 stitches to close.
Mason’s father, Richard DeRosier, was in a paddle boat just offshore during the attack.
DeRosier, a Lake County deputy sheriff, said he was facing the children when he saw a huge swirl in the water.
“Before I can say ‘Holy moley! Look at that!’, all of a sudden the swirl is by their feet,” he said.
Mason said he saw the fish splash 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.”
It didn’t let go. “I smacked it in the head and tried to pry it off my foot,” Mason said. “He let go, but he bit my hand.”
The sister wasn’t hurt.
Mason was taken in back to the family’s cabin to wash the wounds, then he was off to the hospital in nearby 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.
Island Lake has both muskies and northern pike, according to the Minnesota DNR. Either species would be capable of inflicting the kind of wounds Mason suffered.
The fish remains at large.[/size][/#000000][/font]
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