Loons entangled in fishing tackle on Hungry Jack Lake and Leo Lake highlight human impact

This summer, three individual loons have been spotted with a fishing hook, rapala, or line on their face on two Gunflint Trail lakes.

The first loon was seen in late May on Hungry Jack Lake by lakeshore residents, with a fishing hook and line caught in its cheek. Later in the summer, a second Hungry Jack Lake loon was found tangled in fishing line. The third case occurred in June on nearby Leo Lake, where a loon was spotted with a Rapala lure stuck to the side of its beak.

Incidents like these do occasionally occur on the Gunflint Trail or other Cook County lakes, but Hungry Jack Lake homeowners say they’ve become a more frequent occurrence over the past five years.

“I don’t know if the loons are becoming less cautious, or there’s just more line being left out for them to get tangled in, but it seems to be happening more frequently,” said Susan Morrison, a Hungry Jack Lake homeowner.

Loon on Hungry Jack Lake summer 2025 with fishing line and hook | Photo by Dennis Chick

Humans and loons share Minnesota’s lakes, but that coexistence can have unintended consequences.

Across the state, loons can become tangled in discarded fishing line or snagged by lures. Such incidents are rarely intentional, but rather the unintended outcome of people enjoying recreational fishing. Loons might see a snagged or lost lure on the bottom of a lake as food, thinking that it is a minnow or an easy snack. Loons may also consume a fish that has broken an angler’s line and ingest or snag the lure on their face.

For some loons, having a lure or rapala stuck on their face may not hinder their ability to swim, fly, or tend to their young. However, for some loons who ingest a hook or lead weight or become entangled in discarded fishing line, the consequences are more detrimental.

“If it’s really wrapped up, it can’t dive or fly,” said Gaea Crozier, the nongame wildlife specialist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “If it’s around its bill, it can’t eat. So that’s how they die.”

The three loons impacted by fishing tackle on Hungry Jack Lake and Leo Lake have averted this outcome.

Morrison said as the summer progressed, the excess fishing line on one of the Hungry Jack Lake loons was gone, and only a small hook may remain. The second loon on Hungry Jack Lake also appears to have been freed from the tangled fishing line.

On Leo Lake, homeowner Mona Hanson has been monitoring the loon with a Rapala stuck in its face since June. Hanson said the Rapala did not appear to impede its ability to dive, swim, or care for its young, but as a precautionary measure, Hanson contacted loon rescue agencies and rehabilitation facilities.

Two volunteers then traveled to Leo Lake to attempt to capture the loon to remove the Rapala, but were unsuccessful in their efforts. In late July, Hanson said she noticed the Rapala had become dislodged from the loon.

“It somehow was dislodged to my happy surprise,” Hanson said.

While the Leo Lake loon was able to free itself from the Rapala, the same loon has now developed a large growth on the back of one of its legs. Hanson is monitoring the loon and staying in contact with loon rescue organizations.

Leo Lake loon with scaring near beak from Rapala lure. The loon has recently developed a growth on the back of its leg. | Photo by Kalli Hawkins

Throughout the years on Hungry Jack Lake, Dave and Nancy Seaton, owners of Hungry Jack Outfitters, have kept a close eye on the resident Hungry Jack Lake loons and have been involved in multiple loon rescue attempts to remove fishing tackle.

Like Morrison, Dave Seaton said he also doesn’t fully understand why the frequency of loons becoming tangled in fishing tackle has increased. In the past three decades, he said, he doesn’t recall seeing loons tangled in fishing tackle as often.

“It does seem like it’s an annual thing, and I don’t fully understand why,” Dave Seaton said. “It was not an annual thing in years past.”

He said there could be multiple factors contributing to it, but he doesn’t believe that an increase in recreational fishing on Hungry Jack Lake is one of the driving factors.

“I don’t know that there are more people on the lake or more fishermen on the lake,” he said. “I’d say 15 to 20 years ago, there were probably more people fishing here than on a day-to-day basis, than there are now.”

Hungry Jack Lake loon with hook in its cheek | Photo by Dennis Chick

While the three loons on Hungry Jack Lake and Leo Lake have been freed from the fishing tackle, the incidents reflect one of the many challenges loons encounter in Minnesota lakes every summer.

The Minnesota DNR conservation officers, along with local and regional wildlife rescue organizations, receive calls every summer about loons that have become entangled in fishing line or hooked by discarded lures. While it does happen across the state, Crozier said the percentage of loons that are caught with a lure or entangled in fishing line who succumb to their injuries accounts for a small percentage of loon deaths.

“It seems to be low from the mortality studies that have been done,” Crozier said. “It ranges around 4 to 7% of loon deaths.”

The bigger issue facing loons, Crozier said, is the consumption of lead fishing tackle.

“It just takes one lead sinker, one lead jig for them to die,” Crozier said.

Loons sometimes mistake lead sinkers on the lake bottom for pebbles, which they swallow to help grind up food. “It enters the bloodstream and can cause all kinds of issues, including mortality,” Crozier said.

Dave Seaton said the three loons on Hungry Jack Lake and Leo Lake appear healthy and have survived their encounters with fishing tackle. Still, he noted, it’s a reminder to recreate responsibly in places shared with wildlife.

“Doing things that we know we can do to try to avoid inflicting harm on other animals is a good thing,” Dave Seaton said. Accidents and unavoidable things will happen, he said, but “I just think people have a responsibility to do what they can to take care of the animals and wildlife around them.”

Morrison, Dave Seaton, and a handful of other homeowners on Hungry Jack Lake are currently exploring the construction of outdoor fishing line collection bins made from PVC pipe, to be placed at Hungry Jack Outfitters, Hungry Jack Lodge, and other access areas for anglers to dispose of discarded fishing line safely.

An extended audio story produced by WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins is below.

Kalli Hawkins August 26, 2025