EUCLID, Ohio - Pirates on Lake Erie? A local fisherman is robbed at gunpoint after bandits ambush his boat.

Monday, a fisherman takes off on his 18-foot boat from Wildwood State Park in Cleveland to spend a day on Lake Erie. Whether or not the fish are biting would turn out to be the least of his worries.

Investigators have not yet released the name of the fisherman who was robbed.

"This could be an ongoing thing maybe if they don't get these people caught," says another longtime fisherman Andy Hospodor.

Around 5:45 p.m., the fisherman says he was in the lake about a half mile north of Euclid Hospital. A boat, about the same size as his, approached him.

"The two suspects asked him 'how was the fishing?' and they had some small chat, from there, they went off about 100 yards, anchored off and were fishing," says state watercraft officer Jared Thomas.

The victim says the men seemed suspicious, so he went further out into the lake, but the men followed.

"They pulled alongside his boat and they pulled out a pistol," said Thomas. "One of the suspects boarded his vessel and requested money, the victim gave him money, his cell phone, keys and the fish that he caught for the day."

The Coast Guard helped Ohio Division of Watercraft officers search for the boat, but the Lake Erie pirates got away.

Andy Hospodor and Alan Cirino say they were on the lake around the same time Monday when someone flagged them down asking them to jump a dead battery.

The fishermen offered to tow them to shore, but the men in the boat refused.

"You can tell when someone's giving you a line and if they're really true, they'll take the tow in and not say well I'll wait for somebody else to give me a jump," said Cirino.

"I would've never dreamed when you're out fishing you might have an issue, it really took me by surprise," said fisherman John Popovich.

The victim had spare keys, so he was able to make it to shore to call for help. The bandits got away with 43 dollars.

Investigators say they are looking for a white 18-foot vessel with a blue stripe.

Anyone who sees it should contact the Ohio Division of Watercraft at 216-361-1212.