A spontaneous night of rockfishing for a pair of best friends ended Tuesday with a Baltimore County man missing and presumed drowned, after the two were swept down the frigid, turbulent Susquehanna River in Harford County.

Christopher N. Fedor, 25, of the 5600 block of Leiden Road in Cedonia disappeared after he and Victor John Minoglio, 26, of the 300 block of E. Broadway in Union Bridge capsized in their kayak south of the Conowingo Dam shortly after 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Susan O'Brien, a spokeswoman with the Department of Natural Resources, said the pair had anchored their 12 1/2 -foot Keowee kayak from the middle, causing it to tip over. Officials said the kayak was anchored about half a mile south of the dam, between Rowland Island and the shore, when the accident occurred.

The kayak was recovered about 4 a.m. yesterday. A search for Fedor is expected to resume today.

Minoglio, recovering yesterday at his Carroll County home, said he and his friend had had successful fishing expeditions in the spot for the past month and decided to return there Tuesday night.

"It was very spur of the moment," said Minoglio. "We tend to stay with fishing spots that are hot, so we went there."

Minoglio said he and Fedor had not been out long when a rush of water hit the kayak and they were swept overboard into the freezing river. O'Brien said water levels rose because generators tTC from the dam were circulating water.

"The boat ended up in the water, and the anchor was pulling it down," Minoglio said. "We were telling each other not to struggle, to stay calm."

Minoglio said the current propelled him from Fedor and the pair yelled until they lost sight of each other. Minoglio, who works as a supervisor with the Census Bureau, said he was propelled into a rocky area of the river where he clung for almost an hour screaming for help.

"I just kept yelling for Chris," Minoglio said. "The whole time I was praying that he had made it to an area like the one I was in."

Minoglio said he swam to shore, walked to his car and drove to a nearby pavilion where he called 911 about 10: 30 p.m. Minoglio was taken to Harford Memorial Hospital, where he was treated for hypothermia and minor injuries and released.

Minoglio said he and Fedor, an electrician, have been friends for six years. The pair attended Salisbury State University and often went fishing, he said.

Yesterday, Conowingo Dam officials delayed the opening of its floodgates for two hours to assist the five volunteer fire companies and dozen Natural Resources Police officers and park rangers searching for Fedor.

Officials said the pair were not wearing life jackets, but two were found in the kayak as required by state law.

Pub Date: 12/31/98