95 Year Old WWII Vet Gets Big Surprise While Walleye Fishing
There is a saying that is heard quite often amongst anglers who have spent any time at all fishing The Walleye Capital of the World. “You never know what you are going to catch when you are fishing Lake of the Woods”. 95 year old WWII veteran John Youngren who was taking part in the Pay It Forward veterans event would definitely agree. 
You see, while John was fishing on a charter boat with other veterans when he hooked into something big. He was drifting with a crawler harness for walleyes and fishing was good. The cooler was getting filled with walleyes, in fact two participants lines were out of the water as they just landed a couple of walleyes when it happened.
John’s rod bent over in two and the fight was on. Something big was hooked up and it wasn’t happy. So unhappy, in fact, that it ran under the boat and actually launched itself airborn on the opposite side of the boat. With the fishing line rubbing on the bottom of the 27′ Sportcraft, that normally means cut line. Somehow the line held and fish stayed buttoned up.
It, in fact, was a big pike. Lake of the Woods is famous for it’s trophy pike and trophy this one was. This fish was 45″ with a massive girth. A good chance it could have been feeding on the walleyes they were catching.
Armed with only a walleye net, Jon Guerkink, guide at Border View Lodge scooped the big pike got into the boat and the cheers began!
This proud veteran had a real trophy. John served in the Army and air force from 1943 -47, spending time in the South Pacific. Tim Youngren, his son and caregiver for this trip grinned as his dad posed for big fish pics before releasing the monster.
Initially, Pay It Forward was set up to provide a fishing trip with great lodging, meals and entertainment at no cost to veterans. Those things exist, but the real magic is veterans spending time with other veterans. This weekend was about healing, laughter, tears, new friendships, hope, and love. Magic happened this weekend and it all happened up on Lake of the Woods. Thank you to all veterans.
To find out more about Pay It Forward, become a sponsor or if you know of a veteran from outside the Lake of the Woods area who may benefit from the Pay It Forward event, contact Joe Henry at joe.henry@lakeofthewoodsmn.com or check out www.payitforwardlow.org.
