Submitted photo.
On Friday, July 12, 2024, Greg Bohn and his wife, Audrey, were near their home in the Town of Hazelhurst when a three-vehicle accident occurred at approximately 2:26 p.m., according to the Oneida County Sheriff's Office.
Witnesses state that the Bohn's car was northbound on Hwy. 51 near South Blue Lake Road. It stopped in its lane of traffic, waiting to turn left into the private driveway. A vehicle, driven by an 85-year-old man, was traveling behind them and hit the Bohn's vehicle from behind, pushing it into the southbound lane. The Bohn's vehicle was then struck by a southbound vehicle. Emergency services responded, but Greg and Audrey, both age 70, died at the scene. The 85-year-old man was injured and taken to the medical center. A 23-year-old Arbor Vitae man was treated at the scene.
A crash reconstruction was completed as part of the investigation into the accident.
The Oneida County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Oneida County Medical Examiner’s Office, Woodruff Police Department, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Minocqua Fire Department, Cassian Fire Department, Hazlehurst Fire Department, Oneida County Ambulances, and Oneida County Highway Department.
The Bohns are well-known in the area. For many years, Greg and Audrey operated Strictly Walleye Headquarters, a bait and tackle store. The couple also created the Stinger Tackle Company. Greg held many patents and trademarks for his fishing innovations. He wrote many articles and some books about fishing. He spoke at seminars and guided many people on how to catch fish. Primarily, he focused on walleye fishing. In his over 40 years in the fishing industry, he promoted education, design of tackle, and innovation. He designed first of a kind snag-proof walleye tackle products. He held four “Catch & Release” line-class walleye records. A fish he caught, a 56-inch, 44-pound, 8-ounce musky, was the longest registered in North America in 1993, and the fish received first place in a contest called the Vilas County Musky Marathon. Greg was inducted into the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in 2016. In an article posted on his website, he stated, "My goal was to be the best Wisconsin Northwood's walleye guide to wet a line." Many would agree that he more than met that goal, plus many people expressed, in online condolences, the respect they had for him and Audrey as people.
Speaking of Audrey, the Howard Young Foundation (HYF) shared this statement, "Audrey joined HYF in 2009 after 13 years in accounting at Howard Young Medical Center. She brought so much passion into all that she did from her attention to detail, financial management, always greeting everyone with her smile, her positive attitude, and even being a dedicated dock volunteer even after retirement at the Minocqua Dragon Boat Festival. She was always the first person in the office every morning, making sure the coffee was made and everything was ready to go every day until she retired in 2020. She was truly a special part of our organization, and we are all shocked and saddened to have learned of her loss."
The couple clearly made a profound impact on their community.