WATCH: Have You Ever Seen A Loon Trying To Catch A Fish?

As Minnesota's fishing opener approaches this weekend, I was reminded about something I saw a couple of years ago on fishing opener weekend that I found really fascinating.

It was the 2020 Minnesota Fishing Opener, and I was visiting some family for the (kind of) state holiday.

The weather that weekend was cold; some parts of the state even saw snow. Despite that, we (like a lot of other anglers) hit lakes around the state in search of fish. While out,  I got crowded out of one spot by an animal competitor.

The cold and gusty conditions had us seeking a place where we could avoid as much of the cold north wind as possible. While tucked away, we caught a couple of sunfish before something wild happened.

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As my fishing partner was reeling in a fish, something massive came up behind the fish and almost snagged it before he pulled it out of the water. At first, he wasn't sure what it was. All he knew was that it was big and it moved really fast.

After looking around a little, we saw a loon surface not far from the boat. Not wanting to tangle with the loon (or hook it by accident), we just waited and watched as this loon zig-zagged in the water near and under our boat. I knew they were quick underwater, but I had never actually seen them dart around under the surface looking for a fish before.

After several minutes, the loon was successful in getting lunch. In all, it was pretty cool to watch. Even if it scared the fish away. We weren't having a ton of luck in the first place, so at least we got a cool fishing show from the state bird. Here's a little video I was able to catch of the loon as it did its thing:

Pretty fascinating, right?