Hello From Fireside Lodge in Northwest, Ontario, Canada. At the beginning of this time period we had warm sticky weather, which is not normal however for our final week we got reminded, by a severe cold front with high winds that fall is here and preparations for winter should start soon.
Dan Mosier from Lincoln, NE who has come to Fireside Lodge every year since 1997 return for his second fishing trip in 2010 with his daughter Abbi Mota who was with Dan on his very first trip for her High School Graduation. Abbi is now married and a Mom of two children. Boy things move along quickly in life. DOA these two went out and caught some Pike & Small
mouth with Abbi catching a HUGE Trophy 18.5” Smallie. First full day they had a fabulous day catching 27 Northern Pike by 1:30, taking an afternoon nap, and sitting on their deck just enjoying the beautiful lake view of the Boreal Forest before enjoying a wonderful supper in our lodge dinning room. Second day was terrific as they caught 40 Pike, 3 Smallmouth, with Abbi catching another Mater Anglers Trophy Smallie measuring 18”, and Dan landed a nice 34-inch Muskie. They did all this and still had time to relax on their deck before supper. Third day had them fishing until 1:30 PM. Besides the amazing fishing feat of catching back to back 34 & 35-inch Northern Pike, they caught other quality Pike and Smallmouth. Last day was a good fishing day catching Pike and concluding another fabulous memory making vacation for this wonderful Father & Daughter team. Thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge to spend this valuable time together.
Long time return guests Bryan Neel lll and Tim Stewart from Rochester, MN arrived to fish with us for their second trip in 2010. First day fishing they caught 13 nice size Northern Pike between 29 to 36-inches. Second day was a copy of their first as for the Pike fishing, however they also got into some BIG Smallmouth with Tim landing a GIANT 19” Trophy Smallie. Third day they caught some nice Pike and saw some enormous Smallmouth in shallow weeds they could not catch. Tim said one of the largest swam lazily behind his lure and stayed near the boat for 10 minutes. Fourth day was met with high winds, which made for tough fishing conditions affecting fishing technique & locations, which resulted in just catching a few fish. Fifth day was full of fast action Northern Pike fishing as they landed many Pike in the 26 to 30-inch range and a few Smallmouth Bass. Sixth and final day was good catching more Pike and Tim came up with a second 19” trophy Smallmouth Bass. Both had a great time and said, “see ya next spring” when departing.
Back to fish at Fireside Lodge for their 8th consecutive year were Susan & Harry Vilsack from Pittsburgh, PA. First day they had a fun day catching Northern Pike. Second day was a day by the Natural Wonder of Twin Falls, as they caught some fish and enjoyed the days weather and the beautiful Boreal Forest that surrounded them. Third day was fabulous fishing for both, and Susan alone caught over 15 fish and lost a monster trophy Smallmouth. After she quote "bedazzled the bass" with her sparkly, styling' lure”, the fish made huge jump throwing her lure as it hit the water with a huge splash. Slightly disappointed? Yes! Excited with the happening? Definitely!! Fourth day was very windy making fishing difficult but the fifth day was gorgeous making for a wonderful last day on the water. Both caught Northern Pike and Susan with her magic lure had two larger Pike hooked, one very large fish, and lost both as they dove under the boat at the last minute. They had a great trip and plan on returning with Harry’s sister and husband in 2011.
Returning to fish at Fireside Lodge for their 12th consecutive year were Bob Babcock and Jane Waldron from Midland, MI. Joining them for his first time was Bob’s brother-in law Bill Jewell from Houston, TX. DOA they got the kinks out and caught a few Northern Pike. Fist day was full of action with Bill catching most o
f the fish including some nice Pike and several big Smallmouth 17-17.5”. Jane also caught the largest Pike at 35”, and several nice Smallmouth on her favorite top water lure the “Tsunami”, while Bob did and expert job guiding. Second day was met with very high winds challenging their fishing abilities, however they still managed to catch some Northern Pike. Third day had Jane a Bill catching most of the fish in the morning, but after lunch Bob went smaller lures and got the hot hand catching 3 Pike in 5 casts. The key to success in fishing is adapting your presentation or location. Fourth day was another good day catching Northern Pike and Bill caught the most including some dandy size Pike over 30”. Bill had a Big Pike attack his lure at boat-side after bringing it our of the water, which really 
got his attention, saying it took a year or two off his life. Bob and Jane also had Northern Pike over 30” and Bob had a Giant Musky come after his surface bait, seeing the huge head surface and jaws open as it chomped down on his lure. The success ended there as the fish spit out Bob’s lure as it rolled and vanished from sight. Fifth day was a huge weather change bringing a severe cold front with high winds and rain. All weathered the storm with limited success. When leaving Bib & Jane reserved the same dates for 2011, and the talk that evening was centered around how they were going to convince Bob’s sister to agree on Bill returning with them next year.
John Vivino from Fairfield, IA came to fish at Fireside Lodge for his first time. First day he faced very windy cold front conditions which is tough on anyone new to a lake system. After getting started at about 1:
00PM John learned his way around the lower arm of Little Vermilion Lake and caught a few fish including a nice fat 30”plus Pike. Second day had him exploring further catching five nice size Northern Pike and he also took a break and hiked a trail that leads to one of our portage lakes. He had a ball getting an inside look at the Boreal Forest seeing a Ruffed Grouse with her chicks, plenty of Moose tracks and droppings, signs of Beavers along with the many other wonders the forest holds. On John’s third & final day he was invited by Frank (Below) to fish together. They had a great day catching 20 nice Pike on Slug-O’s and stick baits. John was very impressed with Frank’s knowledge of the lake system and fishing techniques. Before departing John expressed what a wonderful stay he had with us and said that we were a top notch fishing lodge.Fran & Colleen Sack from Lorain, OH were back at Fireside Lodge for their second trip of 2010. DOA hey caught 5 Northern Pike right off the bat. First day had them landing 15 fish, m
ostly Pike and a few Smallmouth. Second day was great as they caught 28 fish, almost all Pike, and Fran caught an 18” Master Anglers Award Trophy Smallmouth Bass. Third day was slower, catching a few Pike, however Fran lost a very big Musky after it spit out his lure. Fourth & final day by supper they landed 9 Northern Pike and lost 6 or 7, two being in the 35 to 38-inch class. After supper they gave it one last whirl to catch a trophy and Colleen came close having a GIANT musky follow right behind her lure. As I always say, better to see the fish than to not have the opportunity at all. Both had a great stay in our wonderful wilderness setting getting a break away from their every day responsibilities.
Frank Hazzard from Irving, TX a 20 consecutive year guest, also returned to Fireside Lodge for his second trip in 2010. First day Frank caught 20+ Pike on Stick Baits & Slug-O’s. Second day Frank spent half day searching for S
mallmouth catching 6 and then switched to Pike landing 7 nice fish. Third day was all about Smallmouth & figuring where they were holding. Frank ended up catching 25 and the most seemed to be where the weeds broke off into deeper water. The technique was slow jigging plastic tubes. Great Day!!! Fourth day had Frank catching several Pike and 6 nice Smallmouth Bass. Fifth day Frank caught 14 Northern Pike and 12 Smallmouth with two Smallies being 17.5-inch fat footballs. During the rest of Franks stay he had a couple of great days Smallmouth fishing with boats catches of 25, 34, and 37. Frank had another great fishing trip with us and hopes to return in May of 2011.
Bob Reinhardt from Orland Park, IL returned to Fireside Lodge for his ninth consecutive year. DOA before supper Bob caught 6 nice Northern Pike and lost what he thought to be a 38-incher. First day had Bob catching a bunch of Northern Pike. Second day he landed 8 nice Northern Pike, a Muskie, and had several big follows. Third day was also a very good day and totals for Bob’s 3-day trip were 35 Northern Pike, 2 Muskie, and 5 Smallmouth Bass, landing lot of nice size fish. He had a great trip and hopes to return in 2011 with his son Jon and good friend Charlie.
Here for their first time were Anthony Chelpaty, James Cerra, George Parker, and William Beardslee from Andover, Branchville, Sparta, NJ and West End, NC. Here for a short three days they happened to time it right for a severe cold front with high winds and rain. Not a good combination for first timers on any lake system. These four had a blast catching some Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass, and terrific time with us at Fireside Lodge. What I found so refreshing about these four is their constant interesting conversation among each other. With the electronic world the art of good conversation has seemed to be set aside, but not with these four. Fishing together for 25 years traveling to many locations from Alaska to Central America, before leaving they informed me that Fireside Lodge was now their new Canadian fishing destination. All said we would see them again in the near future.
Make sure to go to our website listed below to see the 2010 Photos For Fabulous Video, Wildlife Events, and Current Happenings go to our Social Sites Below.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fireside-Lodge/304211179043?v=wall
YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/user/FiresideLodgeFish
http://twitter.com/FiresideFish
Hot Lures: Rattle Trap, Rattl’n Rap, Blue Fox Spinner, Daredevle Spoon, Suick, Tube Jig, Hair Jig, Slug-O, X-RapCatches of The Week: Smallmouth Bass 18, 18.5, two 19”
Northern Pike 39”, several 35 to 38-inchers and many at 30 to 35-inches. Muskie several fish 35 to 37-inches with some follows in the mid 40-inch range.
Final Note: WOW, how time goes by as I feel I was just writing our final 2009 fishing report. As I write this final fishing report of 2010 the fall colors are in full form and from this point forward everything will become quieter at Fireside Lodge. As the birds and waterfowl depart for their annual fall migration and animals prepare their winter haunts, it will become progressively quieter until the snow covers the ground, the ice consumes the water, and a whisper can be hear across the bay. Most noticeable is the silence around the lodge and grounds absent of all of the hustle and bustle of morning activities in planning the days fishing adventure, eating and conversation in the dinning room, and boats leaving the dock, all in anticipation of what stories and memories the day may bring and be discussed at the supper tables. No more morning smell of the bacon on the dock or lights seen in the cabins at night. All very sad but necessary for us to move on and plan for the upcoming 2011 season, which will come just as fast as the 2010 one speeded by us. Audrey and I know that is it all of you, our guests/friends, that give Fireside Lodge energy and make it come alive to give us all the exciting happenings and make the wonderful memories all of us have had for the last 21-years. For that Audrey and I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of our hearts. It is you that have enabled us to live our life dream. Please stay in touch with us throughout the fall/winter/spring by visiting our Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter social sites and feel free to post any of your experiences with us on our Facebook wall. If you have any good fishing video please send it to us so we can post it on our YouTube site. Also, during the next several months I will be catching up on posting many more (100’s) great fish photos on our websites from the 2010 season.
Well, that's it for this weeks final Fireside Lodge Fishing News Report for 2010. Please stay tuned on our social sites mentioned above for new happenings and events leading up to the 2011 season. Until then "Keep On Fish'n" Alan
http://www.firesidelodgefishing.com
http://www.firesidelodge.com
800-545-0815
E-mail at: fireside@xplornet.com
