Minnesota Teen Reels In A Billfold Full Of Money While Fishing
Connor Halsa, an upcoming freshman at Moorhead High School, was about to embark on a new year filled with hockey. However, his summer vacation was an experience he wouldn't forget easily.
Catching A Big One
Fishing on Lake of the Woods with his family, they were in the midst of a walleye drift. Suddenly, he felt a tug on his fishing line and assumed it was a massive fish. He yanked the line vigorously and found out that it was a billfold instead. Connor's cousin opened the wallet and revealed that it had $2,000 in cash.
"My cousin opened the wallet up, and he said some words you probably shouldn't say, and he showed everyone, and we took the money out and let it dry out," Connor said.
Finding The Owner
Upon finding a business card inside the wallet, they called the number and contacted the rightful owner, an Iowa farmer named Jim Denney. Denney had lost his wallet in Lake of the Woods while fishing a year ago and had given up hope of ever finding it again. Astonishingly, Connor had stumbled upon the billfold in an area covering a million acres, 70 miles long and 70 miles wide.
"The odds of ever finding or hooking a billfold in 20 feet of water — I don't think there's a number," Denney said.
Meeting Up With Denny
After making the trip to Moorhead, Denney met Connor and his family, thanking them for their honesty. Denney was impressed by Connor's character, offering him money which Connor refused.
Denney gave Connor a fancy cooler, but more than that, he gave the teen a compliment worth much more than the cash found at the bottom of Lake of the Woods.
"I would take Connor as a grandson any day, and I would fight for him any day," Denney said.
