'I'm Glad They Got Me Before Dinner': Missing Fisherman Rescued After Three Days In Butte County

CHICO (CBS13) — Bob Bellon decided to spend his birthday weekend on a fishing trip, one of his favorite pastimes. But his leisurely fishing trip turned out to be anything but relaxing.

"My arms are all scraped from bushes and trees and it wound up being a pretty grueling walk and I actually fell five or six times," said Bellon.

Bellon took a tumble some 75 feet down an embankment near Highway 32 and Dumb Deer Road in Tehama County near the Butte County line. He dislocated his knee and was not even able to call for help.

"I had my cellphone in a plastic bag and I sat there crying, just staring at no service while I sat there in all this misery," said Bellon.

At one point, he fell backward and hit his head on a rock and had to get clever to stop the bleeding.

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"I wound up cleaning it up as best as I could. I had some crazy glue in my fly fishing net and I actually sealed the head injury up with crazy glue," said Bellon.

But by day three, he started hallucinating. With no more food to eat, his blood sugar dropped dangerously low.

"I would've been eating larva fresh out of the river. I'm glad they got me before dinner," said Bellon.

Butte County Sheriff's detectives, with the help of Cal Fire and Butte EMS, found Bellon. And on the long haul back to the ambulance, it's clear he made some friends.

"They came down the river and I was waving my shirt in the air," said Bellon.

It was a welcomed sight and Bellon can't thank them enough.

"Not only for the vigilance and the willingness but just the character," said Bellon.

Detectives visited Bellon in the hospital bringing him his favorite pizza topped with anchovies. Now he's planning a surprise for them, but CBS13 promised to keep it a secret.

As for his next fishing trip, his promise to his girlfriend is that he'll never go alone again.