Hello from Fireside Lodge in Northwest Ontario, Canada. Weather this week was great even though it was on the warm side with high humidity having a few showers and t-storms. We should enjoy, as we all know that in the far north we only have a few more weeks of summer, which could end tomorrow.
Al Sins and Don Funderud with
Dave and Pam Hamilton from Asheville and Raleigh, NC returned to Fireside Lodge to hunt Musky and BIG Northern Pike. First day out Al & Don had a fabulous day Muskie fishing as the hooked 9 Musky and landed 5 up to 34-inches. WOW, that’s a dream day for most Musky fishers. Al & Pam also had a great day catching nine Pike and 4 Smallmouth. Second day was a slower cold front blue bird day, but Al had an opportunity at a 40+ Northern Pike. Third day was a gangbusters day for this group as they caught 49 Northern Pike. Fourth day Dave and Pam had a ball catching some fish and soaking up the wilderness, with Dave coming up with a nice 32-inch Musky. Al and Don did very well Musky fishing having 12 follows, Don catching a 31.5-incher, and Al came up with the groups best fish of the day landing a 41” Tiger Musky having a very wide girth. Fifth day had Dave and Pam having 29 BIG Musky follows but no takers, but caught some nice Smallmouth Bass. The day was very calm and with the water being very clear the Smallie
s were so visible Dave mentioned it was like shopping for bass. Al & Don caught some Pike and had some follows. Sixth and final day for Al & Don was a final push to catch a few big fish. Well, they saw them and even had a few huge Muskie follows at the same time, but could not get a hook up. Dave and Pam however did get the big ones to hit as Dave landed a 37.5-inch Northern Pike and a GIGANTIC, 44.5” Tiger Muskie with a huge girth. Words out of Dave’s mouth were, “This was a Chamber of Commerce Fish”, the one that makes people like him coming back and how fitting was it was for him to catch this monster on his last day within hours of their last day ending. Pam also gets a ton of credit for this catch as she cradled the fish for Dave, which is a bigger challenge than most might think. All had a great time and left as they came, with big smiles on their faces.
Bill Westbrook from New Philadelphia, OH retuned for his 8th consecutive year and for the first time his wife Jill joined him. First day fishing was a complete success as they caught
29 Smallmouth Bass including three 17.5-inchers, and Jill caught most of the fish. Second day had them portaging to another lake which was a very new experience for Jill. The day was a great as Jill enjoyed the adventure catching over 30 Smallmouth Bass and Jill again landed the larger Smallies at 17- 17.5 inches. Bill also landed a nice 31-inch Muskie. The fourth day was a very LARGE day as they first caught 28 Smallmouth Bass with Jill doing well again, and then the wind shifted and Bill had a hunch to fish in a bay that the wind was blowing into. First cast he hooked a nice Musky but lost it in the battle. On the next cast he hooked another Muskie and what a fish it turned out to be. After Jill did a great job of netting this Monster Musky it measured out to 46-inches with a very wide girth. Jill also did a great job of taking a series of photos including three release pictures and one of the fish swimming away. The excitement ran so deep that they decided to call it a day at about 3:30 PM. Fifth and final day the caught over 30 Smallmouth Bass and enjoyed their last day in our wonderful wilderness surroundings.Returning for his second time was Steve Johnson from Halltown, MO and with him was his wife Debra. First day on the water they found plenty of average size Smallmouth on the rocky points and at supper we discussed the value of the weeds and how they hold larger Smallmouth at this time of year. Second day they caught 16 Smallmouth Bass and three nice Pike. Third and final day was their best as Steve and Debra did great catching many Smallmouth Bass and enjoyed their surroundings. At supper both mentioned that they would love to stay another day however figured best to end on a high note. Both made wonderful memories and were discussing the possibility of returning in September.
Tom & Jennifer Born from Burlison, Tn returned to Fireside Lodge for their fifth time. First day was a little slower still catching a few fish however Tom while trolling hooked into a Monster that completely cleared the water in a jump the broke his leader in half. Second day was off to a portage lake for Walleye & Northern Pike. They caught bunches of Pike and six big Walleye ranging between 22 to 26-inches. GREAT DAY!!! Third day was not a record setter but they caught some nice fish and enjoyed the day. Fourth day they caught both Smallmouth & Pike and Jen caught two Pike both measuring 32-i
nches. Fifth day was a very good catching day as they caught many Northern Pike having great action all day long and enjoyed a fabulous shore lunch over an open fire. Sixth and final day was a fun last day as they caught fish and enjoyed the wonderful peaceful atmosphere we have on our lake system. As you can see they caught several nice Muskie and Pike and are already looking forward to planning their dates the same time as the Reese’s (below) in 2011.Bill & Pam Hochstetter from Rockford, IL returned to Fireside Lodge for their fourth time. On DOA these two did great as Pam caught a great 35” Tiger Muskie, Bill lost one that equaled Pam’s and caught a nice 33-incher. Great Start. First day was a short fishing day catching a few fish but catching up on some much needed rest. Second day was a great Smallmouth catching day having fun enjoying the fight of these feisty bronze backs. Third day was cut short and fished only until 11:30 AM as Thunderstorms with a lot of lighting moved in the area. Fourth and final day was a very good day Smallmouth fishing as they caught a lot of great size fish and concluded their trip on a high note. Both did just what they wanted to do which was spend quiet undisturbed time in the wilderness together and get relief from the fast pace they live.
Tom Strachen from Akron, OH returned with his group for a third time consisting of son Ross from Columbus, OH son-in-law Tom Stenger from Copley, Oh and Henry (Buzz) Stenger from Highland Hgts, OH. The their very first evening all caught fish but it was Ross that had a special experience landing the fish of his, and most fishers life, a 44-inch Monster Trophy Northern Pike. WOW, what a start as Ross set the bar quite high for this group. If fact after discussion we figured the group needed to hit the reset button. First day had Tom Strachen and son Ross catching about 11 nice pike and Buzz and Tom Stenger caught over 20 pike. Second day was fabulous fast action catching 45-50 Northern Pike and having a lot of other action. Third day had Buzz and Tom Strachen catching about a dozen Pike up to 30-inches and losing about half that, while Tom Stenger and Ross caught over 30 Northern Pike. Fourth and final day they finished with some good action on both Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass. All left saying they had tons of fun and look forward to their return.
Father & son Tom & Mark Reese from Bartlett, TN & Alexandria, VA returned to Fireside Lodge for their tenth consecutive year. First day on the water they got right to it catching some bigger Smallmouth. Tom caught his first ever Trophy Master Anglers Award Smallmouth m
easuring a whopping 18.5-inches. Way to go Tom. Tom when describing how the Smallies were hitting said that most of the strikes you could hardly feel and sometimes you would just see your line move off to he side, which at that point you would set the hook. Obviously Tom had the technique down. Second day after resting for a half day they hit the water to enjoy catching more Smallmouth, the best fighter that swims in freshwater. Mark also landed a few Pike. Their third day was spent mostly dodging T-Storms getting in some fishing and catching a few Smallmouth Bass. Fourth day was very productive spending a good part of their day catching Northern Pike. But for Mark and Tom this is more than fishing and catching fish. It is a getaway to connect every year as father and son and make memories together like none other. We value and appreciate their friendship and are glad they choose Fireside Lodge as their personal getaway.
Ron Ramsey from Swanee, TN was returning to Fireside Lodge for his 6th year in a row and this trip his wife Vivian joined him. First day they caught fish and Vivian was in awe or the wilderness area she was seeing. Second day was a great fishing day as they caught a bunch of Pike, Vivian landing her first ever Northern Pike and many more after. Also, Ron hooked and landed a HUGE Trophy 18.5-inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth. This was Ron's first award fish. Third day was a portage day for Muskie and Smallmouth Bass. The Muskie were active but not cooperative as they had many follows but could not hook up. As they were waiting out a thunderstorm on shore under a tarp, (Ron always being prepared), as waiting for the lighting subside they created a new plan for the day, Wacky Worming for Smallmouth. Well the re
sults were great as they caught a good number of Smallmouth along with some big ones, and Vivian caught an 18.5-inch Master Anglers Award Trophy Smallmouth Bass. Great going Vivian. Ron explained that it was a new method for them and that it was really neat to finesse the worm in a slow sink technique, and then feel the slightest bump or in some cases just movement in the line while have a nice Smallie at the other end. Fourth day when I asked Ron and Vivian how their day was the answer was simple, GREAT!!! They caught fish and enjoyed the wilderness we have at Fireside Lodge. Fifth & final day Ron & Vivian came to the dinning room full of excitement about there day. They caught Smallmouth Bass on wacky worms and then got into a bunch of big Pike 30-plus inches and Ron caught a 37-inch Musky and a 38-inch Tiger Muskie. This was done fishing a new spot, which made it even more exciting. During their trip these two also did a wilderness hike seeing lots of Moose tracks, the scat of Black Bear & Moose, andobserved the construction abilities of beaver as they found a huge beaver dam. In all Ron & Vivian had a tremendous stay with us at Fireside Lodge. We missed seeing Ron’s dad this year and we all wish Bob a full and complete recovery.
Father son combo of Mike & Zack Gerulski from Huntington Woods, MI who having been coming to Fireside Lodge for nine consecutive years came with Mike’s brother-in-law Stan Nunn and very good friend Ted Ricci from Nor
thville and Hancock, MI. DOA Mike & Zack to took Stan & Ted to their favorite place and traditionally the first place they always fish, Dog Island. They caught some Smallmouth and a few Pike to get started. First full day they were forced back before noon by bad T-Storms, however not before having some action with Mike and Zack catching Smallmouth Bass, and Zack losing a couple of Pike. Stan and Ted did very well catching Smallmouth, Ted having the technique of slowly fishing tube Jigs and landing nine nice Smallies between 14 to 16-inches. Second day all caught fish but Ted seemed to do better than the rest again. Third day all had a good day with Zack having the hot hand on Smallmouth Bass with his World Famous lure the “Zack’s Bass Zapper”. Mike had a great Northern Pike day, while Stan & Ted caught mostly Smallmouth Bass up to 17.5-inches and a few Pike. After supper th
e fish turned on and Ted really had the hot hand catching one fish after another including the million dollar fish. Just kidding as the wager was not that high. Ted had a lot of surface action and landed an 18-inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth. Fourth and final day was a great fishing day for all, and Zack especially did well on his almost patented lure “Zack’s Bass Zapper”. The only disappointment he had a suppertime was his losing of a Giant Trophy Smallmouth. Not to stay discouraged Zack and Dad Mike went out after supper, caught Smallmouth, and on consecutive casts each landed a Trophy Master Anglers Award Smallmouth Zack’s being 18” and Mike’s measuring 19-inches. Now that’s a great father and son fishing memory!!! All had a fabulous stay and all hope to return together again in the near future.
Brothers Steven & Lawrence Sandler from Richmond Hill and Markham, Ontario were back fishing at Fireside Lodge for
their fourth trip together. DOA they got right to it catching about 12 fish, a combo of Smallmouth and Northern Pike in a short time period. First day was fabulous as they caught 30 fish, about half Smallmouth and half Pike with Lawrence catching a very large 36.5” Northern Pike and Steven catching a very heavy 35” Tiger Musky. Great first day!! Second day they caught a ton of Northern Pike up to 29-inches, and Steven caught a few large Smallmouth Bass just under 18-inches. Pike totals for the day were estimated at between 50-60 fish. Third day the tooth critters out witted Steven and Lawrence, however they did catch a lot of Smallmouth Bass 15 to 17.5-inches. Fourth and final day was all about Pike and it happened to be a very windy day with tough boat control conditions but they did manage to catch about 15of these great fighters.
This is what fishing is really all about. Family and friends making life long memories together.
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: Blue Fox Spinner, Wacky Worm, Mepps Spinner, Live Leeches, Zacks Bass Zapper, Twister Spin, Tube Jigs, Storm Swim Baits, X-Rap, Husky Jerk
Catches of The Week. 46” Musky, 44.5” & 41” Tiger Muskie
44” Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass at 19”, 18.25”, and five at 18-inches
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
http://www.firesidelodgefishing.com
http://www.firesidelodge.com
800-545-0815
Email at: fireside@xplornet.com
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