Looking to enjoy a day on the water and equipped with their hand-tied fishing flies and a new fishing boat, Michael and Monya Hoerner recently headed to the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River.

They almost didn't make it home.

“We hit a log which tipped us over and we went into the river,” Michael said.

The two were wearing life vests along with their waders. As they clung to the boat, Michael tried to push them to shore.  

Monya told him, “Just float honey, just float,” but he kept straining to get them to safety. As the minutes passed, Michael felt his energy dwindling. 

He was confused when he heard Monya began calling out for help, thinking it was optimistic to think anyone was nearby and could help them.  

But help came.

Miners working in Kellogg responded to Monya's cries. 

“They swam out to our boat and grabbed and brought us to shore,” Michael recalled. “We had just bought this boat and I didn’t want to let go and they told me, ‘We can replace fishing gear, we can't do the same with lives.’” 

Jacob Leach said he had been hanging out with Sean Rankin when he decided to take Rankin to the spot he likes to snorkel. 

“I happened to be at the right place at the right time,” Leach said. 

They heard what they thought was a pheasant. But as they drew closer and took in the scene before them, Leach and Rankin sprang into action.  

“There was an overturned boat around the corner and I started looking to see if there was anyone. They were both very blue and he was violently shaking.”  

They pushed them to shore, got the Spokane couple out of their waders and urged Michael to let the boat go. 

This wasn’t the first time Leach has been present when a boat overturned in that location. Two years ago, on two different occasions, he found people floating after knocking into the same tree. 

“It makes me think I should stop going there,” Leach said with a laugh. “Each time it’s been perfect timing. This was definitely more serious of the three. If it was a minute different, I don’t think we would have seen them.” 

Leach offered tips for what to do if a boat overturns. 

“Don’t hold onto trees and rocks,” Leach said. “Push off and lose the waders. They fill up with water and are like an anchor."

After Rankin and Leach got the couple to shore and started working on warming them up, Leach put out a call to see if the boat had surfaced. 

When the boat was located, he went and got it.

“It's harder to imagine nicer people than these people,” Michael said. “I’m so eternally grateful, it's beyond what I can talk about without getting emotional. That was as close to dying as I’ve ever come.”

Family of the rescuers brought them warm clothing and after they recovered, the Hoerners hosted Leach and Rankin for dinner to thank them for their heroic efforts. 

“We're just glad we can tell the story,” Michael said.