According to a report by the Star Tribune, three guides went out on Oct. 3, 2015 at roughly 12 midnight. Their boat capsized and after a week of searching, two of the three anglers’ bodies were found over the weekend. The body of Justin Haugtvedt, 22, was found Friday, Oct. 9, near Oak Island, while the body of Cody Ostendorf, 24, was found Sunday morning, Oct. 12, near Flag Island. Searches were called off Monday because of bad weather. No updates Tuesday as to the search for the third angler, Keith Ayers, 28.
The close-knit fishing community is still mourning the passing of the young, energetic anglers. They were savvy anglers who knew the lake and were familiar with typical weather conditions on the big body of water. The conditions were said to be very windy on the night the let out in a 16-foot fishing boat, but at this point it’s speculation as to what caused the boat to capsize.
Friends and relatives started a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral and travel expense for the families of the young men. You can visit the page to make donations at this link.
For more details about this tragic event and the anglers, check out the full story at the Star Tribune website.
