Fishing Reports at Fireside Lodge: 2013

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Fireside Lodge Fishing Report 8/31 to 9/7 2013

Giant Trophy Northern Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada by Bill Calhoon

This week came in with the 1^st day hot & humid, the 2^nd day we had a sever cold front, but then it turned gorgeous for the rest of the week.

Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fly Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada Nick Althauser

Fly Fishing at Fireside Lodge in Canada by Nick Althauser

Fly Fishing Trophy Smallmouth at Fireside Lodge Canada by Deb Althauser

First time Fly-Fishers Nick & Debbie Althauser from Midway, AR came to Fireside Lodge to fly fish after being referred to us by good friends & Fireside Lodge guests, Dale & Rhona Fulton who own a resort and guide on the White River in Cotter, AR. DOA they wasted no time as they caught some nice Smallmouth Bass & Deb landed a Trophy 18”er. 1st day before the heavy rains came they caught a bunch of Smallmouth Bass with Nick catching a Trophy 18” Smallie, but broke his new fly rod in the process. 2^nd & 3^rd days described in there words was super. As fly fishers they caught a lot of Northern Pike & some great size Smallmouth Bass in the 15-17.5” range. Debbie & Nick said they never caught Smallmouth Bass as big or that fight as much. 4^th day a cold front came in dropping temps from a high of 80F to a high of 50F in 24 hours. This was a rest day except for the 2 hours that Nick fished in the late afternoon catching 8 Pike and 2 Smallmouth. 5^th day was a gorgeous weather day & the fishing was also good as they caught a lot of big Smallmouth Bass & Deb landed her 2^nd Trophy at 18.5”. 6^th & final day was good, despite the wind, catching Northern Pike & Smallmouth Bass with Nick landing another 18” Trophy. Both had a great trip & went home with many photos of wildlife & made wonderful memories.

Tremendous Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada

BIG Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada by Colleen Stack

Fun Fishing Big Smallmouth at Fireside Lodge Canada by Bill

Harry & Susan Vilsack from Pittsburgh, PA & Larry & Betty Schiffenhaus from Essex Fells, NJ returned for their 8^th & 5^th time. DOA they went out for just a few hours and got good action on Smallmouth Bass. 1 ^st day we had a severe cold front with a high of only 50F so Harry braved the elements by himself and caught some Northern Pike & Smallmouth Bass while Betty & Susan continued their tradition of doing a puzzle, with this years choice being a Hummingbird. They work on the puzzle every morning before breakfast & in the evening. 2^nd day had the group fishing getting a lot of follows, caught a few Pike & some Smallmouth Bass. It was a beautiful day & they took advantage of it by having a shore lunch at Twin Falls. 3^rd day was windy which limited their fishing & their catch but they still caught a few nice fish. 4^th day had Harry catching a nice 33” Pike & all caught Smallmouth Bass. 5^th & final day they all enjoyed the wilderness surrounding them while catching some fish & enjoyed lunch cooked over an open fire at their favorite spot, Hudson Bay Narrows.

Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing Smile at Fireside Lodge Canada by Bill

Many Pike this size Fishing Fireside Lodge Canada Fran Stack

1^st timers, brothers Leo & Larry Priebe from & Walter Henkels from Westchester, IL were referred to us from good friend Al Katona. DOA was very productive catching Smallmouth Bass & Larry landed a Trophy measuring 19”. First day they faced a cold front with temps dropping 30 degrees but still had a good day catching Smallmouth Bass. 2^nd day Walter did well catching 10 Smallmouth Bass & Leo & Larry caught Bass & a few Pike. 3^rd day was very windy which cause problems with boat control, but they stll caught some fish. 4^th day they decide to use live leeches, which made a huge difference as they had a “FABULOUS” day catching 78 Smallmouth Bass with a lot being 16-17.5” & Larry caught another Trophy at 18”. 5^th day was even better catching 83 Smallmouth Bass with Walter having the hot hand catching 40 himself, and he & Leo both caught Trophy Smallmouth Bass over 18”. 6^th & final day Walter took off from fishing but Leo & Larry portaged to a Smallmouth / Muskie Lake having some Muskie action & landed 38 nice Smallmouth Bass most 16-17.5”. Great finish to a Great Fishing trip at Fireside Lodge.

Monster Trophy Northern Pike Fishing Fireside Lodge Canada by Bryan Neel

Tim Stewart & Bryan Neel from Rochester, MN returned for their 2^nd trip this year & DOA they

GIANT Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada by Fran Stack

caught some Northern Pike 25-30”. 1^st day they caught many more Northern Pike 25 to 32” and their 2^nd day was hot action on Northern Pike up to noon, then they only caught 5 up until suppertime. 3^rd day was windy just like they like it & they caught a lot of Northern Pike between 25-35”, but not the trophy size Pike they were looking for. 4^th day that changed as they not only caught plenty of Northern Pike but several in the high 30” range, 36, 38 and Bryan landed a monster 40” Trophy Northern Pike. By the way these two fish for Smallmouth Bass for about an hour a day & catch between 5-10 nice Smallmouth every day however the long toothy critters is what they prefer. 5^th day they caught a lot of average size Northern Pike between 26 to 33” along with a few 34-35”ers. 6^th & final day was about the same as the 5^th until after supper. In Pre-storm conditions they caught a 36”, 38” & Bryan again caught a Trophy 42.5” Northern Pike. Fabulous end to another Fabulous fishing trip for these two fishing buddies.

Trophy Northern Pike at Fireside Lodge Canada by Fran Stack

Fabulous Smallmouth Bass Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada by Colleen Stack

Fran & Coleen Stack from Lorain, OH returned for their 10^th year. DOA was a great start catching 10 Pike & 6 Smallmouth Bass 13-16”. 1 ^st day was very good catching 7 Northern Pike & 16 Smallmouth Bass ranging in size from 13to 17.5”. 2^nd day they said was fabulous Smallmouth bass fishing catching many 13-16” Smallmouth Bass, a few at 17” plus & Colleen caught a “BIG” 18.5” Trophy. 4^th day they survived the wind catching some Smallies & Pike. 5^th day was another great day as they caught a lot of Smallmouth Bass and 9 Northern Pike up to 33”. Colleen really did well catching a lot of the Smallmouth Bass. Last day they caught a mix of Northern Pike & Smallmouth, but the catch of the week came when Fran landed a HUGE 42” Trophy Northern Pike. What a great way to finish another memory making fishing trip to Fireside Lodge.

Many Muskie Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Jon Rheinhardt

Lot of BIG Northern Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada

Musky Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada by Bob Rheinhardt

Father & son Bob & Jon Reinhardt from AR & N Aurora, Il returned for their 15^th year & their 1st day had them getting a ton of follows, saw about 10 BIG fish but caught very few Northern Pike. They did however catch a lot of nice Smallmouth Bass 15-17”. 2^nd day They caught some Pike & Smallmouth Bass & saw some big fish they could not hook up on but just before supper caught 2 nice Muskie. 3^rd day was a repeat of the 2^nd and they caught 2 Muskie between 35-36.5”. They were also seeing what they came for which were a lot of HUGE Muskie / Pike following their lures. John had a HUGE one well over 50” up to the boat several times. 4^th day they caught a lot of Pike in search of the trophy. 5^th day was super as they caught so many Pike that in Just 1 spot they caught 33 Northern Pike, most between 28-35”, & Bob said they could have caught 100 if they landed everyone the had hit or hooked. They had another “GREAT” father & son trip at Fireside Lodge for Bob & Jon.

Great BIG Northern Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada by Bob R

1^st timers the Mckeague Group made up of Art Mckeague, Mike O’Neil, Louie Fandazza, Tim, & Vil all from the Mississauga, Ontario area.

GREAT Muskie Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada by Bob Rheinhardt

1^st day Art & Mike had a great day catching Smallmouth Bass & Northern Pike & Mike caught a 31” Pike & a Trophy 18.5” Smallmouth Bass. Tim, Louie, & Vil, also did great chasing & catching a lot of bigger Northern Pike in hunt for the trophy Pike or Musky. 2^nd day the wind caused some problems, however all caught some nice Northern Pike trolling. 3^rd day had them catching 26 Northern Pike as a group. Their 4^th & final day had them with a strong finish catching 57 Northern Pike. All enjoyed their stay very much & said in 30-years they never stayed at a lodge with such nice accommodations & service, and such good equipment. They all left saying that we would see them again.

BIG Northern Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada by Bill Calhoon

Giant Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Jerry Amer

Great BIG Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada by Jerry Amer

Long time return guests since 2002 Jerry Amer & Bill Calhoon from Columbus, OH were back but for the 1^st time in September so they were slightly anxious about a possible learning curve. Well it did not take these guys long as on their DOA they did “FABULOUS” & in only a half day the caught 27 Smallmouth Bass between 16 to 18.5” with Bill landing the trophy, and he also caught a nice 33” Northern Pike. 1^st full day they had high winds, which limited their locations & presentation but still caught some nice fish. 2^nd day had them catching a bunch of Northern Pike at a portage lake in the morning & then catching a bunch of nice Smallmouth Bass throughout the rest of the day. 3^rd day was a portage to a Muskie / Smallmouth lake which had them catching some nice Smallmouth Bass & having a lot of Musky action catching two, with Jerry landing the largest being a 36” Muskie. There final 24 hours were terrific as they caught over 30 Smallmouth Bass their way, on a surface popper while fly-fishing. They also caught a bunch of Northern Pike including a 34” & 36”. Bill, besides landing a Trophy 18.5” Smallmouth Bass, caught a “GIANT” Trophy 42” Northern Pike. What a Great finish to a “FABULOUS” fishing trip for these two long time fishing buddies. They are already reserved for their dates in 2014.

BIG Musky Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada by Jerry Amer

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Many BIG Smallmouth Bass Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada by Bill Calhoon

Hot Lures: Bucktail, Tube Jigs, Leeches, Mepps, Sinking Worm, Jointed Rapala, Spinner Baits, Blue Fox Spoinner, Various larger Soft Plastic Baits, Buck-Tail

Hot Flies: Poppers, Wooly Bugger, Articulated Flies, Leech Pattern

Catches of The Week: Two 42.5” Northern Pike a 42” & 40”, 3-38” & Many 34-36”, Smallmouth 19”, with 12 between 18-18.5”

Many Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada Bill Calhoon

Special Note: This was our last open week at Fireside Lodge for 2013 so Audrey & I want to give a “BIG THANKS” to all of our guests this year, and for the last 24-years who have helped us achieve our life goals here at Fireside Lodge. We have made memories and friendships over the years that we never anticipated and will cherish for the rest of our lives. Thank you again and hope to see some of you in 2014, Sincerely Audrey & Alan.

Fran Stack Release of Trophy Northern Pike at Fireside Lodge Canada

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

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Fireside Lodge Fishing Report 8/24 to 8/31 2013

Monster 46.5-inch Muskie Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada by Bob

This week was very warm having temperatures at times 20 degrees above normal but ended abruptly with a severe cold front after some very vocal thunderstorms.

Double Trophy Smallmouth Bass Catch at Fireside Lodge Canada

Terrific Pike Fishing by Dave Minson Fishing

at Fireside Lodge Canada

Dave Minson & his two sons Jonathan & Steven from Burlington, Ontario returned to Fireside Lodge for their 3^rd time. 1^st day they did fabulous catching 46 Northern Pike at a portage lake. This was only 7 shy of their last years total. 2^nd day was up a creek to break up a beaver dam so they could get to another lake. After breaking up 2 beaver dams they made it to the lake and had a fabulous day as they caught many Northern Pike and 6 Smallmouth Bass with Steven & Jonathan both catching an 18” Trophy Smallmouth Bass at the same time. Yes, a double trophy Smallmouth Bass catch by these two brothers. Know that’s a family fishing memory. Steven also caught his 2^nd Trophy Smallmouth of the day when he landed an 18.5” Smallmouth Bass. Third & final day they spent until supper fishing for Musky having 14 follows from large fish but no takers. After supper they spent their final hours fishing by having good action on Northern Pike and catching a few more Smallmouth Bass. For this father & his sons it was Great Fishing, & even Greater Memories once again at Fireside Lodge. Thanks for choosing us to spend you special family time together.

Trophy 19-inch Smallmouth Bass at Fireside Lodge Canada by Steven Johnson

Terrific Smallmouth Fishing at

Fireside Lodge Canada by Debra Johnson

Steve & Debra Johnson from Halltown, MO returned to catch what Fireside Lodge is well known for, BIG Smallmouth Bass. 1^st day they got right into catching many Smallmouth Bass, 16 were 14 to 19” with Steve landing the Trophy 19” Smallmouth Bass. 2^nd day they did great, & without counting the smaller fish they caught 21 Smallmouth Bass all between 14 to 17.5”. 3^rd day continued the heat wave & Steve said they struggled only catching 5 by lunch. So during lunch they took a 2-hour rest lying on Mike’s Island. Their expectations were not high when they started fishing at 2:00 however to their surprise they ended up catching a bunch of nice size Smallmouth up to about 4:30, & Debra caught a HUGE Master Anglers Award Trophy Smallmouth Bass measuring 18.5”. 4^th & final day was again way above normal temps with a high of 86 F, with no wind but they did great catching 27 Smallmouth Bass with most 14-17.5”, & each landed a Trophy Smallmouth Bass Debra’s being 18.5” & Steve’s was 18.25”. This was a great finish to a wonderful trip & both were talking about their return in 2014.

BIG Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada by Mary Lenau

1st Northern Pike by Don Lenau

Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada

Catch Trophy Smallmouth Bass at Fireside Lodge Canada by Don Lenau

Don & Mary Lenau from Union, MO were fishing at Fireside Lodge for there 1

^st time. 1^st day these two took a methodical approach to learning Little Vermilion Lake and were rewarded catching some nice Smallmouth Bass & a 32.5” Northern Pike. If fact Don caught an 18” Trophy Award Smallmouth Bass. 2^nd day the temps heated up to the mid 80’s which seemed to affect the fishing, or at least the fishers, but they still caught some Smallmouth throughout the day. 3^rd day these two had a ball catching both Northern Pike & Smallmouth Bass. They also were missing some nice Smallies & determined the problem was the type of hook they were using. 4^th day they solved the problem as they had a terrific day catching a whole bunch of Smallmouth Bass. Don showed me his worn thumb from handling all the Smallies & Mary said they caught a lot over 15”. They also caught 3 Trophy size Smallmouth Bass, Don caught an 18.25”, & Mary had two, 1 at 18” & a 2 ^ndmeasuring 18.5”. 5^th day was very rainy but Mary & Don caught some nice Smallmouth before the heavy rain, coupled with leaving their rain ware in the cabin, drove them back. Intentions were to get dry & return to the water, but instead they did a little virtual fishing, better known as a nap. 6^th day Mary & Don did well catching Smallmouth Bass with Don landing his 3^rd Master Anglers Award Trophy Smallmouth at 18.5”. Both left having had a wonderful fishing, experiencing the wilderness, & had great conversation with other guests in the dinning room.

HUGE 40" Tiger Musky by Kenny Klimes Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada

Kids Fishing Northern Pike at

Fireside Lodge Canada by Tyler Klimes

BIG Body Northern Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada by Kenny Klimes

Long time guests Bob Babcock & Jane Waldron from Midland, MI were back to chase BIG toothy critters. 1^st & 2^nd days they had a good number of big follows including a few monster fish, while also catching some mid-size, 28 to 32” Northern Pike. They were really enjoying getting hits on some of there specialty surface / sub-surface lures. 3^rd day was 88F and very still so they mixed it up a bit & decided to troll in deeper weed-lines and was it ever productive. They caught a lot of Northern Pike 27 to 33”, Bob calling these cookie cutters for Little Vermilion Lake. They also stopped & casted some of these areas having 4 Muskie follows 37-40” and a Huge Northern Pike that was in the mid 40” range. 4^th day had them again catching some nice Pike & Bob had a few big Musky & Northern Pike hitting a new glide bait, but could not hook up on one of these trophies. 5^th day they again saw some huge fish getting a lot of surface action & caught a good number of Pike including a double. The action kept them out in the soaking pouring rain until their rain suits gave out. Final day was the Big event as they were down to their last casts when Bob had a Huge fish come completely out of the water after what is now his favorite surface lure, he calls “The Baby Loon”. After a long hard fight the fish was landed & it was a 46.5” Monster 32lb+ Muskie. This concluded a fabulous fishing trip for Jane & Bob who were all smiles at the supper table that evening.

Awesome Northern Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada by Zack Klimes

Gary Johnson & son Joshua from Midlothion, IL returned for their 3^rd trip with us at Fireside

Father & Son Northern Pike Fishing at

Fireside Lodge Canada by Brian Klimes

Lodge. Not being able to get there large group together they made a last minute reservation 2 days before arriving, as Gary was trying to fit in a fishing trip with his son working around his daughters birthday & labor day. Within the 72-hours they packed in as much fishing as possible fishing for BIG toothy critters. They had plenty of action catching many Northern Pike 26-35” and a few Muskie. They had some follows from some very large Muskie & Pike but could not hook up on one. The trip was a very fun & before leaving Gary said they would be back in 2014 with the regular group.

BIG 1st Tiger Muskie by Tyler Klimes Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada

Fun Fishing BIG Pike at Fireside Lodge Canada by Jordon Klimes

Tyler Klimes with BIG Smallmouth Bass

Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada

BIG Smallmouth Smile By Robert Spencer Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada

HUGE Smallmouth Bass by Zack Klimes

Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada

Brian Klimes from Willowbrook, IL returned for his 2^nd year in a row with sons Zack, Tyler, & Jordon, brother Kenny, and Mike Spencer & his son Robert from Burr Ridge, IL. DOA was very successful as all caught a lot of Smallmouth Bass on tubes & sinking worms before the heavy rain chased them off the water. Kenny & Eric landed a 17,17.5, & 18” Smallie. 1^st day was terrific as Brian & his two sons Jordan & Tyler, 14, caught Smallmouth Bass & Northern Pike with the two highlights being Jordan catching a 32 Northern Pike & Tyler caught his first Muskie which was a heavy 33” Tiger Musky. Their smiles tell the whole story. The others did very well with Smallmouth Bass with Robert catching an 18” trophy his dad Mike caught a 36.5” Pike & the Kenny / Zack combo caught well over 40 BIG Smallmouth Bass Kenny describing the sizes to be mostly over 16” with more than 20 being17-18”, Kenny catching a Trophy 18” and lost what he thought to be a monster 20”er. 2 ^nd day they caught a combo of Smallmouth Bass & Northern Pike & the catch of the day came from Mike with him landing a thick 42.5” Muskie caught on a whopper plop per. Mike said it hit the lure full speed coming completely out of the water, making it a very exciting catch. 3^rd & final day they were faced with a severe cold front as the temps dropped from the 80’s the day before to a high of 50F with stiff North winds. Despite these conditions they still did well catching Northern Pike & Smallmouth Bass with Zack & Uncle Kenny doing the best catching a bunch of Northern Pike 28-30” & Kenny had the catch of the day landing a 40” heavy Tiger Musky. Something not to be overlooked is the special family time and memories made by this group, among fathers, sons, & uncles which is a catch that will be kept (not released) close in their minds & hearts for years to come. Thanks for making Fireside Lodge that special place to make your special family memories. Before their departure Brian reserved the groups dates for 2014.

HUGE Muskie catch by Mike Spencer Fishing at Fireside Lodge Canada

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