This week temperatures were very pleasant staying between 65 to 70 degrees for highs with a mix of sun and cloud, lows in the mid 40’s and brief rain showers appeared towards the end of the week. You could almost mistake it for fall weather, but the Mayfly hatch, which happened this week is a dead give away it was early summer.
Mike and Dee Hummel from Urbandale, IA returned to Fireside Lodge for their sixth year. First day they did well despite strong winds catching Smallmouth Bass, and Dee had a HUGE toothy critter follow her lure but could not get it to Strike. Second day was great as Mike and Dee caught plenty of Smallmouth Bass from 13 to 17.5-inches. Third day was a superb day as in the morning they caught a lot of big Smallmouth Bass, and at noon fished for Pike catching well over 30 Northern Pike. All of Mike’s were caught fly-fishing with most of the Northern Pike being 28 to 30-inches, and the Smallmouth were 16 to 17.5-inches. Fourth day was another very good day fishing and catching as they caught a lot of Smallmouth Bass with Dee using a power worm and a slow technique, while Mike stuck to fly fishing using a chartreuse popper. With the mayflies hatching a slower presentation was working the best. Fifth and final day was very windy with thunderstorms in the area all day, and despite this Mike and Dee fished until 4:00PM when most others had come in early. They did well catching mostly Smallmouth Bass. Upon their departure they expressed the wonderful time they had and reserved their same dates for 2010.
Brian Borawski from Frederick, MD and Richard Fecht from Gaithersburg, MD were fishing at Fireside lodge for their first time. First day on the water was investigative trying to get the lay of the lake and find the weed beds. They found that the cold spring we have had limited the weed growth to date. They caught some fish and gained some valuable knowledge. Second day Rick and Brian found some good Smallmouth Bass fishing, Brian catching two Master Anglers Award Smallies at 18 and 19-inches. Third day they were in search of Pike and they found them as they landed over 60 Northern Pike. Fourth day, while in search of Muskie, caught some nice Northern Pike and had some follows but the Muskie won today’s battle. Fifth day was very windy which caused boat control difficulties, but they fished all day long and caught a few very nice Pike and had a few follows. Sixth and final day was their last chance at a Muskie and Brain was determined to catch one. Well he did even better than that, he caught two, the first being 35-inches and the second Muskie was a monster 45-inch Master Anglers Award trophy. Great way to finish.
Father and son Mark and Connor McDermotte from Chicago, IL were returning to fish at Fireside Lodge for Mark’s third consecutive year. First year was daughter Cailan, second year son Sean was with Mark, and this year it was Connors trip to Fireside Lodge. First day on the water, only fishing until 2:00 PM, they caught over 40 Northern Pike. Second day was dedicated to Muskie fishing of which they had one in and out of their net as the hook got caught near the hoop of the net, and the fish flipped out and swam away. They also had about 9 follows, and caught 9 Pike. Third day was great action as they caught 59 Northern Pike and a few Smallmouth Bass. Fourth day was extremely windy with thunderstorms, which found them back at the dock before noon. They enjoyed some other activities and a long nap, and felt re-energized for fifth and final day fishing. The energy helped as they caught 37 Northern Pike along with several Smallmouth and Conner caught a very large 17.5-inch Smallmouth, It was a terrific fishing trip for this father and son as they made many memories. Before departing Mark made reservations for the same dates in 2010.
Dave, Terri and daughter Kaitlin from Milwaukee, WI were back to enjoy the fishing and magic of Fireside Lodge for their fourth consecutive year. First day they caught some Smallmouth and Pike, and Kaitlin caught the largest Northern Pike. That evening Terri and Kaitlin took a short Kayak trip, and after returning Terri and Dave returned to fishing and caught some Smallmouth on the surface. Second day they decided to explore new waters and they caught some fish, recorded some new areas for future reference and had a fabulous experience watching a Bald Eagle try to attack a Loon. As Dave described the situation it was touch and go for a few moments but the Loon made it away safely and the Eagle went away still hungry. So who needs reality TV shows when you can experience nature’s reality first hand in our surroundings at Fireside Lodge? Third day the fish won as they caught a few, and enjoyed the wonderful wilderness around them. Fourth day was very windy conditions with thunderstorms moving through the area all day long, which brought them back early like 80% of the other guests. Fifth day was very windy conditions making it tough to fish many areas. They caught a few fish and enjoyed their last day on the water trying to soak up nature wonders before
returning to the city of Milwaukee.Ray and son Mike Heika from Inverness, IL were back for their third year in a row to enjoy the wilderness fishing at Fireside Lodge. These two had a fabulous first day as they caught over 75, (yes 75); Northern Pike and Mike came up with an 18.5-inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth. Terrific start for Ray and Mike. Second day was not as active as their first but they did catch twelve nice fish, a combo of Smallmouth and Pike. Third day was fabulous fishing and catching as Ray and Mike landed well over 50 Northern Pike and Mike caught a HUGE 20.5-inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth Bass. Fourth day had them fishing a portage lake for Muskie, but the high wind conditions created boat control difficulties resulting in having four follows with none hooked. Fifth day we had many thunderstorms in the area with high wind and Ray and Mike made the best of it fishing all day in this weather and caught 12 nice fish. Fifth day was a terrific combo day as they caught over 35 Northern Pike, over 20 Smallmouth Bass and all the Smallmouth were 15-17.5 inches, and 5 were over 18-inch largest being 19.5-inches. The Smallmouth were all caught with tube jigs fishing structure, and a slow presentation. WOW, what a great day fishing! Sixth and seventh days fishing Ray and Mike were hampered by the wind like everyone else, but they still caught a lot of Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass with Ray coming up with another 18-inch Master Anglers Award, which made their seventh in seven days. Ray and Mike had another memorable stay at Fireside Lodge and hope to return in 2010.
Nick Thomas from Salem, VA for the second year in a row had his group fishing at Fireside Lodge. They included Marvin Carter also from Salem, David Plunkett from New Castle, Gary Hudson from Pembroke, John Edmonson from Cloverdale, and Ron Henley from Radford, VA. First day on the water Ron and David caught a good number of Smallmouth Bass and Northern Pike plus landed three Muskie, Nick and Marvin had three hours of very fast action on Smallmouth Bass, and John and Greg did very well on Smallmouth Bass. Second day had Ron and Marvin teaming up for a super day of Smallmouth Bass fishing catching th
em all day long. For John and David it was not quantity but quality as all the fish they caught were big, both Smallmouth Bass and Northern Pike. It was a slower day for Nick and Greg still catching some fish. Third day was a super day for all as every boat caught many Smallmouth Bass, too many to count. With the mayflies hatching, this great day was accomplished by fishing a sinking worm very slowly, and sometimes letting the worm just sit for a moment. This group by far did the best because of their technique and patient method of fishing. Fourth day they were dodging thunderstorms and were wind blown like everyone else, but they all still caught some fish and enjoyed the day for what it was. Fifth and final day had these fellows fishing in very windy conditions again, but they caught fish anyway. All week they got on to a method of using sinking worms, fished slowly, and they never stopped catching Smallmouth. They by far did the best all week with Smallmouth Bass fishing right in the mayflies with their sinking worms and a do nothing presentation. Nick ended with an 18.5-inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth, which was a great way to finish. Upon checking out, all said they would see us next year.Tom and Patti Cleary from Copley, OH found themselves fishing at Fireside Lodge for their first time. This couple had a fabulous first day catching a dozen nice Smallmouth Bass and enjoying a wonderful shore lunch at a beautiful location on the lake. Patti is fairly new to fishi
ng and having never caught a Smallmouth Bass before she got started right by her very first Smallmouth Bass ever being an 18-inch Master Anglers Award Smallie. Second day they took a short paddle into Cedarbough Lake and were in awe of nature at it’s best providing the natural beauty found in Cedarbough creek. They had a very fun day catching some nice size Smallmouth Bass and exploring different waters. Third day Tom and Patti were off to another lake and a longer creek ride. This will be their third lake in three days. Well they had fabulous fishing, as the thunderstorms missed them, and they caught 35 Northern Pike. These two enjoyed fourth and final day, and despite the very windy conditions they caught 3 Smallmouth Bass and 4 Northern Pike as they soaked up their last moments being in the great northern wilderness of the Canadian Boreal Forest. Patti left having a wonderful experience for her first Canadian fishing trip, and Tom’s continuous smile told the whole story. Upon departure Tom informed me that he plans on getting a group of 4 people for 2010.Good friends and fly fishing partners Steve Jensen Springfield, MO and Jon Harrison from Georgetown, TX were back fly fishing at Fireside Lodge for their sixth consecutive year. Steve and Jon decided to fish for Northern Pike in their first full day and it turned out to be a good decision as they had the
ir best day ever fly fishing for Pike. They did not count every fish but a conservative estimate is over 40, all caught while fly-fishing. Second day was off to a portage Muskie Lake where both Jon and Steve had hopes of landing their first Muskie on a fly rod. Steve came very close as he had a Muskie hooked briefly but could not land it, and they had several other follows. Third day they were chased off the water early with high winds and thunderstorm activity, which made fly-fishing nearly impossible. Fourth day these two had a fabulous time catching many Northern Pike on the fly. Fly-fishing for Northern Pike does not get much better than catching 7 Northern Pike on 7 consecutive casts (Steve), or having 3 or 4 doubles, which Jon and Steve accomplished. They had no idea how many they caught and did not even attempt to count. Fifth day had them portaging to catch Muskie and Smallmouth, and that is just what they did with Jon landing his first Muskie ever while fly fishing, and Steve caught two Master Anglers Award Smallmouth on back to back casts, one 18.5-inches and a MONSTER 19.25-inch Smallmouth. Just one word described this day “Fabulous”. Sixth and final day they had another terrific day fly fishing, catching Northern Pike at numbers they believed to be their best day of the week, and Steven caught his third Master Angler Award Smallmouth measuring 18.5-inches, making this their best ever fly fishing trip. Before leaving they secured their reservations for 2010.Keith Markowski from Foristell. MO returned to Fireside Lodge for his third trip with his dad Donald from Ferguson, MO and brother Danny from Troy, MO. First day on the water these three had fabulous fishing catching well over 50 Northern Pike and 10 Smallmouth Bass
of which six were Master Anglers Award Smallmouth 18 to 18.5-inches. The others were 16.5 to 17.5 inches and all had very large girth. Second day was again well over 50 Northern Pike landed, and Keith caught another monster 18-inch very wide Smallmouth Bass. Third day was very windy with thunderstorms moving in and out of the area, which limited fishing time and ability to control the boat. Still they caught some fish for the short time spent on the water, and the good news is they had one day left. Fourth and final day was another tremendous day catching Northern Pike, Keith telling me they easily caught over 70 Northern Pike before suppertime. Also, Don caught an 18.5-inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth Bass, which means all three accomplished this fishing feat. This made for a great finish to a fabulous fishing trip for Don, Keith, and Dan.
Back for their second consecutive year were brothers three, Doug, John, and David Sowatsky from Sullivan, WI, Clyde Hill, WA, and
Foothill Ranch, CA. This year David was introducing his twelve-year-old son Kyle to the great Canadian Wilderness fishing experience. Lucky of Kyle to have such an opportunity. Day of arrival they fished for a short time and all caught a fish or two. First day was a fabulous day as they caught over 50 fish per boat, combination of Pike and Smallmouth, and what a way for Kyle to experience fishing in Canada for his first time. He not only caught a lot of Northern Pike but he came up with the catch of the day landing a HUGE 18-inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth Bass. Way to go Kyle! Second day was also very good fishing as they were one of the few groups which braved the wind and thunderstorms, and were rewarded catching some big fish with Klye landing a HUGE 36-inch Northern Pike, which was so fat and heavy it looked like the body of a 40-incher. Also, Doug landed a very big 42-inch Muskie, and John caught a big Smallie just missing the Master Anglers Award. Third day was a very tough day on the
water with high winds however this group stuck with it and caught some nice Smallmouth Bass and Northern Pike. Fourth and fifth days were the same with high winds and rough water, but these four were amazing in their fishing efforts, and it paid off as they caught a lot of Northern Pike 28 to 33-inches and many Smallmouth Bass up to 17.5-inches. Also Muskie man Doug caught two more Muskie 0ver 35-inches. All left having a great time making family memories, and Kyle went out as the sole Master Angler Award recipient.Long time guests father and son Dennis and Mark Lowney from Aurora, IL were back fishing at Fireside Lodge. Mark and Dennis were with us in our very beginning years and are part of the select guests that have seen us progress from our over years. First day on the water they caught some Smallmouth Bass and Northern Pike and got re-familiarized with the waters. Second day was met with high winds and thunderstorms, which made for a very short day fishing. Third day they caught many Smallmouth Bass and some Northern Pike. Fourth day was super windy and they decided to call it a day of rest and reading before even getting in their boat. Fourth and fifth days were very good as they were able to enjoy catching many Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass in the Great Canadian Wilderness, where Fireside Lodge in located. We had fun with Denny and Mark talking about our beginning years and the progress made at Fireside Lodge for the last 20-years. Denny and Mark had such fun they decided to reserve their dates for 2010 before leaving. Great to have these guys back.
Make sure to go to our website listed below to see the 2009 Photos
Hot Lures of The Week: Sinking Worm, Tube Jig, Mepps Spinner, Blue Fox Spinner, Tubes,
Hot Flies of the week: Chartreuse Surface Popper, Streamers, Hexaginia Nymph, Crayfish Pattern
Catches of the Week: 20.5-inch Smallmouth, 45 and 42-inch Muskie, Over 75 Northern Pike caught in one day by two people.
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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