DULUTH — An 18-year-old man who was fishing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness earlier this week is presumed dead after his canoe flipped on Gillis Lake.
Lester Jay Hochstetler, of Clear Lake Wis., never resurfaced, though another man in the boat was able to swim to shore, according to the Cook County Sheriff's Office. Hochstetler was not wearing a personal flotation device.
The Sheriff's Office was notified on Wednesday evening, and the search and rescue operation included a U. S. Forest Service Beaver float plane. Gillis Lake, a destination for lake trout and northern pike anglers, drops to 180 feet and is the third deepest lake in the BWCA, according to bwcawild.com, a reference website.
"Our hearts are with the survivors and the deceased's family," said Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen in a news release. "I also commend all of our emergency services who responded to this incident with swift actions and professionalism."
