Fireside Lodge Fishing News Report 5/16 to 5/23 2009Opening week of 2009 was exciting, full of anticipation, and very different from the last 19 opening days, which is no surprise. All have been different in their own way, with our 20th opening day sure to be a lasting memory for all who were here to experience the day. We woke up to temperatures of 21 degrees Fahrenheit and blowing snow. The accumulation was enough to cover the frozen ground and grass, and the winds were very strong all day long. I had to clear downed trees off of Fireside Road to get our guests in, and yes we had to shovel the boats. No one fished that day, but we enjoyed viewing the blustery day from the cozy Lodge in front of a wood burning stove.
Frank Hazzard, from Arlington, TX returned to Fireside Lodge for a record nineteenth consecutive season. Frank is very knowledgeable of the structure and fish movements during the early spring and his results speak for themselves. With Smallmouth Bass being his main pursuit some daily examples of his and a friends catches are 48 Smallmouth, 80 Smallmouth Bass, 155 Smallmouth Bass, 120 Smallmouth, 50 plus Smallmouth Bass. The majority of these Smallmouth were 14 to 17 inches and plenty were over 17 inches, with several being Master Anglers Awards Smallmouth over 18 inches. Two other days while fishing with another guest Bill Stayer they caught 16 Northern Pike and 23 Smallmouth Bass and 22 Smallmouth and 9 Pike, and Frank lost a Pike well over 40 inches right at boat side. Third day fishing together was fabulous catching 48 Smallmouth Bass, 15 Northern Pike with several being 34 to 36 inches and Bill lost a bigger Pike as he was unhooking it at boat side. A special part of this day was when a bald eagle came close enou
gh for Bill to take some fabulous pictures which we all enjoyed in the lodge that same evening. We also were able to view some of their fish photos on our viewer in the main lodge. Anyone who has digital photos can have them viewed in the lodge on our digital viewer. Fourth day fishing for Frank and Bill was GREAT as they caught 46 Smallmouth Bass, 10 Northern Pike and a Whitefish. Next day while fishing with another friend he caught 50 Smallmouth Bass and 6 Northern Pike. Frank’s second to the last day while fishing with Bill they caught 27 Smallmouth Bass, many 14 to 16 inches with several in the 17 to 18-inch class, and they had a blast catching 26 Northern Pike up to 33-inches on Slug-O and Senko worms. On Franks last day Frank and Bill had a fun day catching 20 nice Smallmouth Bass, 6 Northern Pike and Bill came up with the BIG fish of the day landing a HUGE 40-inch Muskie. Frank left the next morning being very sad but at the same time fulfilled with happiness from the memories made during his stay at Fireside Lodge.Tim Stewart and Bryan Neel from Rochester, MN returned for their seventh con
secutive year. These two had a great fishing week as usual. With their personality and good humor they can’t be anything but successful. During their first four days they caught countless Northern Pike in the 28 to 35 inch range, and while in pursuit of Pike accidentally hooked and landed 12 Lake Trout measuring 30 to 34 inches. Also Tim caught a 39-inch Northern Pike just missing a master anglers award by one inch, and Bryan had a mid 40-inch Muskie up to the boat, however the Muskie won this battle, and Bryan intends on returning later this year to attempt a re-match. Tim and Bryan also caught some BIG Smallmouth Bass applying a technique new to them. This was open water jigging on structure where Smallmouth spend most 
of their time in the cold-water periods. They caught many sizable Smallmouth Bass with Bryan landing a 19.5-inch Master Anglers Award Smallie, and Tim caught an absolute Monster measuring in at 21-inches. The last two days brought similar results as they caught 22 Northern Pike 30 to 39 inches, 6 Lake Trout 30 to 35 inches and 14 BIG Smallmouth Bass. In all they caught seven Master Anglers Award Smallies one measuring 21 inches, three at 19, and three at 18 inches. Another Great Week at Fireside Lodge, and Tim and Bryan are hoping to return later this summer for a second fishing trip at Fireside Lodge.
Good friends Joe Sisco, Cable, WI and Dennis Brogan from Carol Stream, IL returned to Fireside Lodge for their eighth consecutive year in search of Smallmouth Bass. Here for and extended 9 days of fishing Joe started their first day by setting the pace landing a Master Anglers Award Smallmouth Bass measuring 18.5 inches. The next five days, despite cold windy weather most of the time, their daily catches ranged between 14 to over 40 Smallmouth Bass, with Dennis catching a huge 19.5-inch Smallmouth Bass and Joe landing two mire BIG fish, one at 18 inches and the other was a MONSTER at 20.5-inches. Sixth day brought them a cold windy day but they still managed 22 nice Smallmouth. As weather improved on their seventh day the Smallmouth started to move, and they had a great day catching 44 heavy Smallmouth with Joe catching another 18-inch Master Anglers Award Smallie. Their eighth day had these two catching over 40 Smallmouth Bass as the bite was hot until about 1:00 pm and took until about 3:30 to pick up again. On their last day they fished only until about 2:00 PM and caught 33 nice Smallmouth Bass and Joe finished with another 18.5-inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth, and Dennis caught a huge Northern Pike that Joe release before measuring. Joe ended up with 5 Master Anglers Award Smallmouth Bass between 20.5 and 18 inches, and Dennis had two, one 18-incher and a huge19.5-incher. Great finish to another great fishing trip at Fireside Lodge
Another long time guest of Fireside Lodge since 1992, Tony Majcher from Hawthorne, Woods, IL returned also in search of Smallmouth Bass. First day on the water Tony managed to catch a few nice Smallmouth, one being an 18-inch Master Anglers Award Smallie, despite a cold very windy day. Second day Tony caught 8 and the third day he caught a bakers dozen of big Smallmouth and landed another 18-inch Master Anglers Award Smallie. Fourth day had Tony landing 16 nice size Smallmouth up to 17.5-inches, and at the end of the day Tony asked me to send special thanks to Tim and Bryan (above), who led him to a Smallmouth fishing hole. Fifth day was cold and rainy which brought Tony in early for a fabulous afternoon nap, but not before catching 9 good size Smallmouth. On Tony’s sixth and final day it was still cold and rainy, but Tony caught 12 nice Smallmouth, two being over 17-inches, caught several good size Northern Pike, and a BIG 27-inch Lake Trout. In all Tony had a fun week catching fish and visiting with his Fireside Lodge friends who come fishing at this same time every year.
Neil MacKinnon, Perryville, OH, with son Greg, Bexley, OH, son-in-law Michael Barton, Chicago, IL, brothers Tom and John Ferguson from Rossford, OH and Naples, FL and Dennis Carstensen from Perrysburg, OH were making their eighth trip to Fireside Lodge. First day on the water was a great day as Dennis and Tom caught some bigger fish both Northern Pike, a few over 30-inch Lake Trout and Dennis landed a HIGE 19-inch Master Anglers Award Smallie. The others all caught heir share of Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass. The next two days of their three-day fishing package had them catching everything, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Muskie and Lake Trout. The hot hand switched back and forth but all caught their fair share of fish. All were glad to be back at Fireside Lodge and sad that their three days went by way too fast.
Make sure to go to our website listed below to see the 2009 PhotosHot Lures of The Week: X-Rap, Hair Jig, Tube Jig, Twister Tail, Blue Fox Spinner
Catches of the Week: two 39-inch Northern Pike, 21-inch Smallmouth Bass, 20.5-inch Smallmouth Bass, 40-inch Lake Trout
Please note that we have a “NEW” email address below.
Well, that's it for this weeks Fireside Lodge Fishing News Report, Please stay tuned for next weeks report. Until then "Keep On Fish'n" Alan
www.firesidelodgefishing.com
www.firesidelodge.com
800-545-0815
Email: fireside@xplornet.com
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