Fishing Reports at Fireside Lodge: Fireside Lodge Fishing Report 8/6 to 8/13 2011

Fireside Lodge Fishing Report 8/6 to 8/13 2011

Hello from Fireside Lodge in Northwest Ontario, Canada. The temperatures were gorgeous this week having highs in the mid to upper 70’s including a few heavy thunderstorms on Thursday with mega lightning, which drove most looking for cover. The fishing was “TERRIFIC” for all with the catching being the same for most.

Long time return guest for his 9^th consecutive year Bill Westbrook from New Philadelphia, OH for the first time came with his entire family of Wife Jill & Matt, 2^nd year, Mark 8^th year who came with Katie Perica from Cincinnati, OH. First evening fishing all caught Smallmouth Bass with Jill setting the pace as she caught the most & the largest fish up to 17.5”. First full day all caught a lot of Smallmouth Bass with the ladies leading the pack on larger fish as Jill & Katie caught 17-17.5”ers. Katie, having never fished before caught 10. Great day for all. 2^nd day was a fun portage day for Muskie & Smallmouth, getting Muskie follows & catching a lot of Smallmouth. Jill again landed some 17”+ fish and Mark came up with the catch of the day landing a HIGE 19.5” Master Anglers Award Trophy. 3^rd day was super as the whole crew caught over 70 fish with 99% being Smallmouth Bass. A lot of big bass were caught up to 17” and Katie, Mark, Bill, & Matt all caught Master Anglers Award Trophy 18” plus fish. 4^th day was volatile as T-Storms chased them off the lake at the noon hour, but not before Bill & Mark took advantage of the before the storm bite. They caught many big Smallmouth 16 to 17.5”, caught 5 Trophy Smallmouth between 18-19.5” with Bill landing a GIANT measuring 20”, Matt caught the 19.5”er & a side Story is that when Bill caught his 20” Smalllmouth Matt also caught a 17” Smallie. That’s a heck of a double catch on Smallmouth. The last day because of weather only Bill, Mark, & Matt fished for 3 hours and caught about a dozen Pike All left making GREAT family fishing memories at Fireside Lodge.

Newcomers to Fireside Lodge were Brad Carpenter from White Bear Lake, MN Chuck Bach from Mukwonago, WI, Chris Kelly from Cape May, NJ & Rich Hoffman from IL.

First night after supper all caught Smallmouth & Northern Pike. 1^st full day they did great catching close to 25 Northern Pike & some Smallies. 2^nd day was nothing less than terrific. After an adventurous & challenging creek ride these four caught well over 100 Northern Pike with plenty of other follows or lost fish. On there 3^rd & final day they dedicated to Smallmouth Bass. After some discussion on location & presentation they were off. The results were “FABULOUS” as they caught fish all day long and big Smallmouth ranging from 14 to 19”. They said it was non-stop and could not give me number because the excitement was so great from watching 4-6 Smallmouth following right behind the one they were catching. This was a great finish to a fabulous 3-day fishing trip.

Father & son Mark & Matt Donovan from IL. & Albert Marco from Middleton, WI. returned for their 2^nd trip. 1^st day was slow starting having many follows from toothy critters that would not take anything, but it cranked up in the afternoon with the Smallmouth Bass as they caught some nice fish & Al set the bar landing an 18” Master Anglers Award bass. 2^nd day they did very well catching fish all day with Pike, up in the 32” range, Smallmouth of all sizes, & Matt landed his biggest at 17.5” & Al caught another over 18”. They also had a lot of large follows. 3^rd day had these three fishing an out lake catching 6 walleye & over 40 Pike. 4^th & final day they finished strong catching 25 Northern Pike & a dozen Smallmouth all being Big between 15 to 18” & both Al & Mark caught 18” Master Anglers award Trophy Bass. All left making wonderful memories.

Ron & Lisa Vincent from Sherrills Ford, NC returned for their 13^th consecutive year. DOA Ron caught a Tiger Muskie & both did well on Pike & Smallmouth Bass. 2^nd day Ron caught 2 more Musky (that’s 3 in 1.5 days) & both had a FABULOUS day catching many BIG Smallmouth Bass ranging in the 13 to 17.5” area. 2^nd day was a big day for these two as the caught a bunch of Smallmouth bass up to 17.5” and some nice pike. 3^rd day was as good as you can ask for as they caught well over 50 Northern Pike about 15 Smallmouth with Lisa landing a BIG trophy 18”er. The next two days had them seeing about 30 Musky follows but no takers and they caught a bunch of Smallmouth Bass & Northern Pike. Lisa landed another 18”+ along with many 14 to 17.5 inches & Ron had similar success but despite him landing about a half dozen 17-17.75 inches he could not break the 18” mark. He also said Lisa was keeping him very honest. They also caught a lot of pike including some in the 33-35” range. 5^th day was a very good day & Ron did some catching up in the Smallmouth Trophy category coming up with 2 18” Smallmouth Bass tying Lisa. The 6^th & final was a change in weather day being cooler with some rain so Lisa took the day off & Ron went fishing with another guest, Leon, who is also from NC. Both caught fish and Ron enjoyed his last fishing day, while Lisa enjoyed her personal day. Both had a GREAT vacation making some memories in our wonderful wilderness setting.

Dave Warner with sons David, Michael & Grandfather Philip from Foxboro & N Attleboro, MA returned to Fireside Lodge for their 6th time. 1^st day each boat caught close to 20 fish, mostly Pike up to 31”, Dave Jr caught a BIG Smallmouth just under 18” & Dave Sr caught a 37” Musky. 2^nd day had Dave & Phil having success landing some nice Pike up to 32-inches. 3^rd day had Dave Jr & Michael catching over 30 Northern Pike with Dave & Phil landing a bakers dozen, which made pushing over a silt bar for a 55 minute drive & getting over 3 beaver dams all worth the effort. 3^rd day had these three taking a weather day off as we had a typical northeastern storm come through with thunderstorms & cold front conditions. 4^th & final day was finished with a bang as David Jr & Michael had a SUPER DAY FISHING catching over 70 fish, 60+ Northern Pike along with 12 Smallmouth Bass. All left having a wonderful trip & hope to return again in the near future.

Father David Stefanini from Olmsted Twp, OH & his two sons Todd from Upper Arlington & Dave from Hood River, OR returned for their 2ⁿ^d trip. 1^st day had these three having plenty of action landing over 40 Northern Pike, and Dave landed his while fly-fishing. 2^nd day they caught mostly Smallmouth Bass & Todd was the top dog landing a 17.5” Smallie. 3^rd day brought cold front conditions with high winds & the fishing was slower, however they still caught some Pike with Todd landing a MONSTER 37.5” er having a tremendous girth & Dave Sr landed a heavy 31.5” Musky. Not bad for tough weather conditions! 4^th day had these three catching 15+ nice Northern Pike. 5^th day had them fishing for Muskie & Smallmouth Bass with great results. Dave Sr caught a 32” Musky & lost another, Todd landed a 26”er & Dave had a Musky briefly hooked. Also, they had countless Musky follows throughout the day and caught plenty of Smallmouth Bass including both Dave Sr & Todd each landing a trophy 18” Smallie. Last day they were on the hunt for BIG fish & Todd found a beauty 19” Trophy Smallmouth Bass & Dave Sr finished with a 35.5” Pike with a very wide girth. All left having a great visit & making wonderful memories between father & sons.

First time guests David Nero & Woody Kessell from Akron & Uniontown, OH arrived with anticipation. First day ever on our lake they recognized a pattern & started catching Smallmouth, landing over 40 before supper. Second day had them catching 30+ Smallmouth Bass until T-Storms brought them back at noon. They ended up only fishing a few more hours because of weather & ended up the day with 38 Smallies. 3^rd day was very windy with a cold front which made it slower going, but even with these conditions Dave & Woody managed to catch 20+ Smallmouth. 4^th day they stuck to there pattern of fishing 8-15 foot depths away but parallel to rock shore lines & caught another 33 Smallmouth Bass with their wacky rigged 3” Slug-O’s. 5^th day they caught 20 Smallmouth and on the 6^th & final day they finished strong with 34 Smallmouth Bass. Both had a great trip and said they would like to return in the future.

Tom & Jen Born from Burlison, TN returned to Fireside Lodge for their trip. First day out had them catching some fish, both Pike & Smallmouth, & seeing a few monsters just take a look & leave, 2^nd day was Musky day for Jen as she hooked & landed a nice 31”er. 3^rd day they portaged to a Musky / Smallmouth Bass lake in server cold front conditions, & had many Musky follows and caught some nice Smallmouth Bass. Tom landed a monster 19.5” Master Anglers Award Trophy Smallmouth. 4^th day had them catching Pike and Smallmouth with Tom landing another GIANT Smallmouth, this one measuring 19”. Another exciting event was when a Musky the same length as the width of their boat followed Tom’s lure through a figure eight, then sat a few feet below their boat just long enough for Tom & Jen to get a good look, & then it slowly swam away. 5^th & final day had them on the last search for that Monster Pike or Musky. First choice was to try fishing in Cedarbough, but the low water conditions prevented them from getting to this lake, so they decided to fish the lake with the BIGGEST fish which is Little Vermilion Lake. They had a blast soaking up their last day, seeing some follows and catching some Pike, but the MONSTERS eluded them on this trip just teasing them with follows and near strikes. Both left having a wonderful time and adding to their memory log.

Barrett Bunce from Santa Barbara, CA returned for his second visit bringing his sons Brandon from Ventura, Ca & Andrew from Sheridan, CO. 1^st full day on the water had these 3 catching many Pike & some Smallmouth Bass, & Andrew told me he was starting to believe my weekly fishing reports. 2^nd day had them portaging & catching many pike, 30+, in only 3.5 hours, but were driven out because of T-Storms. 3rd day was facing cold front conditions & the fishing was slower, but they still managed to catch 20 Smallmouth Bass. 4^th day was a fun portage day adventuring to another lake having a great time catching a bunch of Pike. 5^th day had these three fishing for Smallmouth Bass catching 15 & they also took some time to enjoy the Twin Falls Area. This is and amazing natural wonder on Little Vermilion Lake that all should see and it is a perfect photo opt. 6^th & final day was a portage for Musky & Smallmouth Bass. Well the Musky did not get the message, but the Smallmouth did as they caught a bunch of Smallies. Many memories were made between father & sons on this trip & for Barrett it was a special trip not only being with his two sons but also in remembrance of a very good friend who was with Barrett on a previous trip with us. Thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge to make some of your special memories.

Long time guest Leon Robbins from Yadkinville, NC returned with three timer Justine Sebastian from Mont Holly, NC & Leon’s nephew Troy Reed from Winston Salem, NC for his first experience. This was Troy’s first fishing trip & he arrived never having caught a Smallmouth Bass, Musky or Northern Pike. 1^st evening they caught 11 Pike & 8 Smallmouth with Troy catching the most including his first ever Smallie & Pike. 1st day after breaking through three beaver dams & a shallow silt bar they caught over 60 Northern Pike & a dozen Smallmouth Bass. Terrific day for all & in just 24 hours Troy went form never catching a Pike or Smallmouth to becoming very good at it. 2^nd day was a bit slower because of high winds, T-Storms, along with sever cold front conditions. All still caught some fish & had tons of fun. 3^rd day was their Musky day as the saw a lot of follows & landed 4, with Troy catching his 1^st, 2^nd, & 3^rd Musky in the same day, his biggest being 36.5”, & Justine caught a HUGE 39.5” Musky. It was a very exciting day as they also caught plenty of Smallmouth Bass. 4^th day all had a fabulous time catching over 50 Northern Pike along with a half dozen big Smallmouth Bass, & Leon landed a nice 37.5” Musky. 5^th & final day was almost a copy of the 4^th as they caught 48 Pike with 8 Smallmouth Bass. All left tiered & worn out, but feeling great, & before leaving were looking into dates for 2012.

1^st Timers to Fireside Lodge were Gene O’Bara from Manville, NJ, Vito Palombella from Needham, MA, Jerry Klaus from Orlando, FL & James Miller from Fort Lauderdale, FL. First day on the water these three did very well catching many Northern Pike/Smallmouth Bass and both Gene & Vito lost Muskie, & Jerry landed the first Musky of this trip. Great day for it being their first ever on Little Vermilion Lake. Facing cold front conditions & high winds on their 2nd day Vito hooked and landed a 34” Muskie with no leader and 6lb test line and Gene caught a nice Pike & also losing a BIG Muskie. Then they had a three-hour delay because of a hook incident. Afterwards they went right back to catching many Northern Pike. Jerry & Jim had many follows and landed 10 nice Northern Pike. 3rd day was just one of those wonderful weather days & the fishing was “FABULOUS”. Gene & Vito caught over 30 Smallmouth Bass along with several Pike & Vito landed 2 Master Anglers Award Trophy Bass measuring 18”. Jerry & Jim also did great catching over 50 Smallmouth with a lot in the 14 to 17” range. 4^th day had Jerry & Jim portage to a Pike lake while Gene & Vito fished for bigger Toothy Critters. We hesitate to say fishing for Musky because Gene figures that if you don’t fish for this elusive fish that’s when you might catch one. The results were “all had a fabulous day” as Jim & Jerry caught over 30 Northern Pike and a few Smallies, with Gene & Vito catching 7 Pike 6 Smallmouth but the topper was Gene hooking & landing a 40” very heavy Musky on a top-water prop bait. Very exciting as they both saw the fish blow up on Gene’s lure. Both will have that memory engrained in their minds forever. 5th & final day had Vito & Gene portaging for Pike & Walleye catching 7 nice big walleye and about 40 Pike. Jim & Jerry also did very well catching 22 Northern Pike & 8 Smallmouth Bass. All left having a memorable trip & hope to return one day soon.

Long time return guests Steve & Lawrence Sandler from Richmond Hill & Markham, Ontario

were back for their 6^th visit with us at Fireside Lodge. First day they faced a cold front right off the bat b

ut still caught 7 Pike & many nice Smallmouth Bass between 13 to 17”. 2^nd day was a ‘Fabulous’ day as they caught well over 50 Northern Pike and had lots of action in follows & lost fish. 3^rd day was fun catching good size Northern Pike, 26-31” throughout the day, Lawrence landed a nice Tiger Muskie & Steve caught some great size Smallmouth Bass up to 17”, all having a good thick girth. 4^th and final day the

y finished strong catching 50+ Northern Pike along with 5 Big Smallmouth Bass all at or near 17” & as fat as footballs and Lawrence caught a nice Tiger Musky. Both left having made another set of wonderful memories between brothers & the chatter on their departing morning was about making reservations for 2012.

Gordon Mair from Skippack, PA returned for his second visit in as many years. First several days fishing Gordon mixed it up catching Smallmouth Bass and Northern Pike and enjoying the other wonders we having in our great wilderness setting. Gordon spent close to 45 minutes just watching Bald Eagles do what they do every day. That’s one of the many benefits of fishing in the Canadian Wilderness. Second day Gordon caught 4 Smallmouth Bass and 3 nice Northern Pike. On Gordon’s final two days he did very well expanding his knowledge of our lake by exploring some new areas and catching some good Northern Pike while doing so. He left having a thoroughly enjoyable stay and he hopes to return in 2012.