Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Fireside Lodge Fishing Report 6/23 to 6/30 2012


Fireside Lodge Fishing Report 6/23 to 6/30 2012



This week the temperatures turned around being nearly perfect all week long. Started out on the cooler side, 68-70 for highs, but most of the days were 70-75 degrees, Except for a few windy days you Can’t beat that!

Long time guests Kathie & David Drake from Terra Haute, IN were back to enjoy our Canadian Wilderness Fishing. DOA these two got started in a few of their old haunts doing very well before suppertime. First day of fishing they did fine catching many 14 to 17” Smallmouth with nothing less than 12”. Second day was slower but still caught fish despite coming in by 1:30PM because of wind, rain, and cold. 3rd day was spent catching some nice Northern Pike and Kathie came up with the fish of the day landing a beauty 34” Pike. 4th day had them doing very well catching about 50+ Northern Pike. 5th and final day they had a fun time on a perfect 70-degree day catching about 20 nice Smallmouth Bass, David caught a 29” Muskie and Kathie again caught the bigger fish landing a 32” Northern Pike. Both had a Fabulous stay fishing and enjoying our wonderful wilderness setting.


First time guests by referral were Father, Son & Grandpa Kirk, James & Mel Schulz from Milford, OH, Alan Moellmann from Cincinnati, & Paul Brooks from Findlay, OH. DOA they got right to it catching some Smallmouth Bass & Northern Pike within just a few hours. First day had them learning the lake catching Smallmouth, Pike, and Kirk landed a Musky. 

Second day they discovered that the Smallmouth Bass loved sinking worms presented slowly. They caught a bunch before suppertime with James setting the bar for all of the adults, landing GIANT Master Anglers Award Smallmouth Bass measuring all of 19”. Way to go James!!!!! 2ND & 3RD days this group tore up the Pike as they caught 100’s between them, plus many Smallmouth Bass. Paul & Allen targeted Smallmouth on the 3rd day doing very well catching 35-40 and exploring some unfamiliar waters. 

Kirk, Mel, & James also had a great day catching 65 Northern Pike, 5 Smallmouth Bass & James again came up with the BIG fish of the day by landing a 20” Smallmouth Bass while fly-fishing. In fact Kirk & James caught all of they pike  & Smallmouth Fly-fishing. 4th day was a little spotty for Allen & Paul, but Kirk, Mel, & James did great catching a lot of Smallmouth Bass, while learning new areas of Little Vermilion Lake. The also fished Cedarbough later in the day getting some follows and James caught his first Musky. 

5th and final day Paul & Allen caught over 80 Northern Pike and 6 nice Smallmouth Bass between 16  -18.75”. Kirk, Mel, & James also had a great day catching a lot of Pike fish, with Kirk getting on the Master Anglers Award board landing a beauty, 19” Smallmouth Bass. The fish totals & sizes are fun to compare a talk about, however we all know the biggest catch between this three generations of family were the time spent making wonderful memories together. Congrats to them for making this happen.

Al Sins, Don Funderud, with Dave & Pam Hamilton from Asheville & Raleigh, NC returned for their traditional fishing trip with us at Fireside Lodge. Having a Musky as a priority, DOA Don got off to a quick start catching a 37”er. First day Don hooked a Muskie first thing in the morning & both him and AL caught some Pike & had Muskie follows. Dave a Pam caught about 20 Northern Pike having a fabulous day on the water. 2nd day was slower for Al & Don, missing a Muskie first thing in the morning, having a few follows, & catching few Pike. Dave & Pam caught 20 Pike. 

3rd day was great as Al & Don caught 36 Northern Pike. Dave & Pam did great with Dave landing a Master Anglers Award Northern Pike measuring 40”. 4th day was their best day ever landing 150 Northern Pike as a group with Dave catching a BIG Muskie at 42” and Al caught a Master Anglers Award Musky measuring in at 44”, all on a clear bight sunny day. WOW!!! What a “FANTASTIC” day of fishing/catching. 5th day had totals of 28 & 30-35 pike for each boat. Their last was a great finish as Dave caught his 2nd Master Anglers Award Northern Pike at 40.5” and saw several Muskie that would make this fish look small. Al & Dave took one last shot at these fish after supper but to no avail. All left having a wonderful time and hope to return for another crack at those BIG BOYS.

Paul & Martha Weaver from Princeton, IN, guests since 1995, returned to fish and enjoy our wilderness surroundings. DOA & the first day were spent catching many Smallmouth Bass 14 to 17” and enjoying some nice weather. 2nd day the winds kicked up and gave them an excuse to come in early and relax before supper. Everything happens for a reason as a pretty good thunderstorm hit a little before supper and they were able to watch it from their cabin. 3rd day had them catching a bunch of Pike but it was the Smallmouth they were really after. They caught a half dozen, all nice fish between 17-18” and Martha came up with a trophy measuring 18.75” weighing over 4lbs. 4th & final day after the results were in, Paul said besides being able to catch all the Northern Pike you wanted to catch, they also caught BIG Smallmouth Bass, each landing a Master Anglers Award Trophy Bass at 18 & 18.25”. Great finish to a great trip.

Three generations of the Murphy’s, John from Detroit, MI, Bryan with sons Quinn & Jake from Darien, CT, arrived excited & ready to fish. First day out this group got right to it catching countless Northern Pike & had to make a visit at the tackle shop to re-supply. 2nd day was a repeat of the first as they caught as a group over 60 Northern Pike and about 6 Smallmouth Bass. Today John broke out his fly rod & caught both bass & pike while fly-fishing. 3rd day after asking Bryan how they did his reply was “it was a great day of fishing. We caught tons of fish and caught them all day long, All Northern Pike”. Each boat caught over 50 fish each, as it was non-stop action for most of the day. Upon departure John decided to leave the fishing rods he shipped so they will be here for next years return.

Family of John, Joyce, Steve, & Susan Jones, Ray & Donna Holliday, Lynn Jones, & Cindy Withrow from Little Rock/Maumelle, AR and Alameda, CA were excited to be at Fireside Lodge & Fishing in Canada for their first time. They were referred to us by a long time guest and long time friend of John, Joe Fulton, Fayettville, AR. This has been a dream of John’s for years so they decided to make a family event to discover what Joe told Jim about all these years. 1st day they had a ball exploring while catching some Northern Pike. Steven caught the big fish of the day at 33”, however was given a lesson on knot tying after his boat came loose & floated away during shore lunch. 

2d day was a fabulous day fishing & seeing one of our fabulous natural wonders. All had lunch at Twin Falls and enjoyed the great view of the falls and surrounding area. They also caught some fish with Cindy taking the BIG fish of the day award landing a 36” Muskie on a spinner with one barb less hook, her first ever Musky. Cindy & Karen were in the boat together and did a great job landing the fish properly in the cradle. 3rd & 4th days this group had fishing/catching that they never experienced before catching consecutively 120 and 130 Northern Pike on this days with Ray alone catching 30, Karen 20, and Susan 17. This family trip was all based around John’s dream to fish at Fireside Lodge for years. The Smile on John’s face at suppertime was ear to ear and could not have gotten any bigger, not just for the fish caught but for all the wonder family memories they were in the process of making. 5th & final day was a great conclusion to a FANTASTIC family fishing trip. They caught some fish but mostly savored their last day in our fabulous wilderness setting. Also, John’s dream/goal of Fishing at Fireside Lodge was accomplished along with making many lasting family memories. Thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge for this special vacation.

Bob Zukas and John from Baltimore, MD were here to fish for their first time. 1st day they hit the water before breakfast catching some Smallmouth Bass on the surface. The rest of the day was spent catching about 20 Northern Pike while learning the lower arm of Little Vermilion Lake. 2nd day was spent catching a good number of nice size Smallmouth Bass, along with some Pike. Day 3 they did great catching a lot of Northern Pike, about 30, and several Smallmouth 17-17.5” & Bob caught an 18.5” Master Anglers Award Trophy Smallmouth. GREAT DAY, that ended with and early bedtime. 4th day had them searching for some bigger fish catching some nice Pike, but the monster eluded them. 5th & final day had them getting the early morning dose of Smallmouth, catching 5, & by the end of their day at suppertime they said they were plain wore out from catching Northern Pike. They caught well over 40 and had lots of action with missed strikes & lost fish. Great day and still 1 more left. Well, the last day brought high winds, which brought them in by noon, after catching a few fish. Both had a great time and we appreciate them traveling to visit us at Fireside Lodge.

Long time guests father & son, David & Marc McFarland from Pendelton & Bedford, IN were back to enjoy the wonderful wilderness fishing we have at Fireside Lodge. After having a slower 1st day catching 7 Smallmouth they decided to switch to Pike catching a bunch, 36 with 1 Smallie. Deciding that the Smallmouth were in their post spawn funk, the 3rd day they took some leeches with them and did much better. They caught 15 nice Smallmouth, David catching a Trophy Master Anglers Smallie at 18” and the rest were 15-17.5”. At supper they were feeling by the activity of they day the Smallmouth were just about to break out of their post spawn slow down. Well they were dead-on as on day 4 they caught 42 with half being 15” or better. 5th day was very high winds, which really limited the locations you could fish, and the presentations you could use. Despite this they did very well catching 18 Smallmouth Bass, all between 15-17.5” including Marc landing an 18” Master Anglers Award Trophy. Great going guys!!! 6th and final day the Smallmouth seemed to be off but the Pike picked up the slack catching a good number while enjoying their last day in the beautiful wilderness. Many Memories made once again between father & son. They had such a great time the reserved the same dates for 2013.


Pete Petterson, Albert (Spud) Chaffin, Terry Willis, David Renfro, Greg Swinehart, Ray Canady, & Brandon Hawn all from Unicoi & Erwin TN, were back to fish in our beautiful lake system. 1st day they did FABULOUS catching 169 fish, mostly Northern Pike with Brandon & Greg accounting for 60 just in their boat. Next day they did just as good as Brandon & Greg caught 54, Ray, Pete, & Terry caught 50+ & David & spud had about 40. WOW!! What great Northern Pike fishing. 3rd & final day they all caught plenty of fish, a mix of Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass and Pete landed his 3rd Musky of the trip. His first three trips with us he never caught a Musky but Pete sure made up for it this trip. All left having loads of fun and hope to return.

Tom Nayder from Orland Park, IL, sister Leah Bezin from Berwyn, IL and Tom’s son Joel and his better half Nicole were back to fish and enjoy our wonderful wilderness. This is the 12th year for Tom & his group. 1st day they tore up the Northern Pike catching well over 70, most of Leah’s were while fly-fishing, and Tom caught his fair share this way and had a big fish take him under the boat so fast it broke his fly rod. 2nd day they went fishing Wacky style for Smallmouth Bass and the Smallies went wacky for their presentation. This technique uses a sinking worm hooked through the middle with no weight, or a small finishing nail pushed into the ends of the worm. It’s presented by casting it and just letting it sink. The Smallmouth think it a worm that fell into the water just floating to the bottom and can’t resist this easy meal. They also used this technique for day 3rd/4th & final day having good success. Also on the last day Leah had the hot hand catching Northern Pike, a 30” Muskie, and Smallmouth including an 18.5” Master Anglers Award Smallmouth. All left enjoying their time fishing in the wilderness, and making family memories.

Doug & Frank Kerr from Henrico, NC & Plainfield, IN returned for their second consecutive year. DOA in just a few hours these two caught 15 nice Smallmouth Bass & on day 1 they had a great time catching over 30 Northern Pike. It’s like they picked up right where the left off from last year. 2nd day was a break out day for Smallmouth Bass moving into their summer feeding pattern as Frank & Doug had lots of action & caught 47 Smallies. Fabulous Day!!! 3rd day was very high winds but they did great catching 20+ Smallmouth, all bigger, & Frank caught a Mater Anglers Award Smallmouth at 18.5-inches. 4th day had them in windy conditions again and they did well on Smallmouth again but the highlight of the day was Doug landing a 39.5” Northern Pike on a Mepps Spinner. Funny story was after they had the fish in the cradle after using the jaw spreaders to open the Pike’s mouth discovered that Doug had hooked the fish directly in the head. No Jaw Spreaders needed. Well, we all had a laugh or two in the dinning room about that story. 5th and final day these two fishing cousins finished with a bang catching well over 40 Northern Pike. Before leaving they said they would be backing 2013 possible with 4 people.


Mike Ubelherr from Stow, OH returned for his 6th trip with us, his daughter Kate for her second, and Kate’s significant other Chad Van Den Hoch from Mitchell, SD. Both Kate and Chad are living & working in Burma, and what a great way to reunite family and catch up on each others lives than by fishing the wilderness. 1st day they caught 6 nice fish and the second day they caught 12. On this second day Chad discovered the magic of the gizit catching Northern Pike as he was catching Pike on this small plastic bait to the point that one time he just had it hanging over the edge of the boat as he was untangling a messy line situation and “BAM” a BIG Pike came up and slammed it. The fight only lasted for a moment until the line broke. 3rd day at breakfast it was decided to shoot for a goal to double there numbers of fish caught every day, so day three goal was 24. Well they did it plus some, as they caught 56 Northern Pike & 1 Smallmouth Bass. Terrific day for all & Kate was tops in the group catching a HUGE 19.5” Master Anglers Award Trophy Smallmouth Bass. Beat that you guys! 4th and final day had them almost accomplishing their double every day goal. They caught 90 fish in all, 12 being Smallmouth Bass & the rest Northern Pike. 10 of the Smallmouth Bass were BIG as Chad caught two trophies measuring 18.25” & 19” with Mike catching 1 at 18.5”. All has a FABULOUS trip and Mike made some wonderful memories with his daughter & Chad.

Father & son Wayne & Todd Busdiecker from Centerville & Waynesville, OH were back once again to chase toothy critters & Smallmouth Bass. First day was very good catching 14 nice Northern Pike, despite the high winds, before supper. After supper the winds did not let up. In fact they became stronger and these two were the only ones to brave the weather for a few more hours. Well it was plenty worthwhile as Todd hooked and landed a big 40” Musky. Great catch and guest what he caught it on?? An old time lure, the Red Eye Spoon.
2nd day was still very windy but they managed to catch 18 nice Pike up to 30”.  3rd day was only a half-day of fishing as they wanted to get a head start on their trip to the Minneapolis airport. They had some good morning action catching on some bigger Northern Pike finishing their trip on a high note. Even though the trip was short it was also sweet, making another set of fishing memories between father and son. When leaving Wayne expressed is was one of his best trips and will return next year with more family members.

Make sure to go to our website listed below to see some GREAT Fish Photos. For Fabulous Fishing Video, Wildlife Events, and Current Happenings go to our Social Sites Below.

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Hot Lures: Mepps Spinner, Blue Fox Spinner, Husky Jerk, Shallow Raider, Mepps Muskie & Giant Killer, Johnson’s Silver Minnow Spoon, Sassy Shad, Sinking Worm, Pop-R, Torpedo, Tube Jig

Catches of The Week: Smallmouth Bass 20”. 3-19.5”, 19.25”. 3-19”, 18.75”, 3-18.5”, 2-18.25”, 5-18”  Muskie 44”, 42”,40”  Northern Pike 40.5”, 40” Also caught a number of Pike & Muskie 35-19”.

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
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