Fishing Reports at Fireside Lodge: July 2015

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Fireside Lodge Fishing Report 7/4 to 7/13 2015

Pam with a 40-inch Northern Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge

This week brought variable weather having a few warm days, a few T-Storms, & a few cold fronts however the fishing was HOT!

40.5-inch Trophy Northern Pike by Al Fishing at Fireside Lodge

Long time guests of 15 years Al Sins & Don Funderude from Asheville,NC met up with Dave & Pam Hamilton from Raleigh, NC. The 1^st 1.5 Days they 4 boated numerous Northern Pike & 12 Muskie, several 35-36”, one at 37.5” & Dave had the largest at 40.5”. Pam on both days had the trifecta landing a Musky, Smallmouth Bass, & Northern Pike.

BIG 40-inch Muskie Fishing by Dave at Fireside Lodge

2^nd day was a BIG fish day as Pam caught her largest fish landing a Trophy 40” Northern Pike & after Al & Don had a day of many Muskie

1 of 23 Musky fishing in 6 days by 4 people 37.5" By Don

follows & catching 3 at the end of the day AL caught 40.5” Trophy Northern Pike. That’s 2-trophy Pike in 1 day for this group. 3^rd was fabulous Northern Pike fishing as Dave & Pam caught 73 with Al & Don at 84. 4^th day Al & Don caught 26 nice Pike, 4 SB while Dave & Pam caught a bakers dozen. 5^th day Dave & Pam had 10 Pike with Don & Al catching 8 Pike & 5 Muskie despite a severe cold front. That makes 23 Muskie for the group. 6^th & final day was spent chasing that Monster Muskie with Dave & Pam having two different follows that qualified but despite great efforts could not get either to bite. All had a great trip & hope to return in 2016.

Huge Northern Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Mike

Huge Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing by Bob at Fireside Lodge

Bob & Ollie Waldeck from Cotter, AR returned for their 4^th consecutive year this time spending two weeks with us including a very special day being their 20^th Anniversary. 1^st full day they caught 19 nice Smallmouth Bass & a Pike. 2nd day had them doing very well catching more fish than they could keep track of, mostly Northern Pike & a few Smallmouth. 3rd & 4^th day were spent

Trophy Smallmouth Bass by Ollie Fishing at Fireside Lodge

exploring the upper half of Little Vermilion Lake finding some great Smallmouth Bass areas & Bob landed a Trophy 18.5”er. 5^th day was full of fast action & fun with Pike. 6th & 7th days they caught their fare share of SB along with a few Pike. 8th day they caught a lot of Pike searching for trophy Smallmouth Bass. 10^th day was a special day for Ollie & Bob as the celebrated their 20^th anniversary & congrats to them both. Their last several days were full of Northern Pike action while also catching some Smallmouth Bass. Both left having such a terrific time the reserved 2 weeks for 2016.

Terrific BIG Pike Fishing by Butch at Fireside Lodge

Mark McDermotte, Chicago, IL returned for his 8^th consecutive year

Trophy Smallmouth Bass by Dan Fishing at Fireside Lodge

bringing his son Sean. 1^st day was spent catching some nice Pike up to 33”. 2^nd day was gangbusters catching 105 Northern Pike & 3 SB. 3^rd day cold front conditions slowed things down but still caught a bunch of Northern Pike 50+. 4^th day they spent most of the day searching out bigger Pike & Musky, catching some 30-33” while seeing a few really big fish. 5th & final day they again caught well over 50 Northern Pike leaving on a high note. After making wonderful father & son memories, Mark made his standing reservation for the same dates in 2016.

Terrific Big Muskie Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Butch

The Ramsey family Mike & Cathy from Roseville & Sacramento, CA

Giant Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Mike

Butch & sons Will & Nick from Hillboro, Oh & Dan from Germantown, OH returned for their 3^rd time. They arrived with team shirts on ready to compete between the elders & youngins. Butch & Mike got a head start catching 9-Pike before breakfast.

Double Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Will & Nick

Trophy Musky Fishing by Nick at Fireside Lodge

1^st day was unreal catching 250 Northern Pike & 18 Smallmouth Bass with Cathy landing a Trophy 18”. 2^nd day brought a severe cold front but it was their BIG fish day as they caught number of Pike & couple of Muskie in the 33-36 inch range plus Will caught a MONSTER 43” Muskie. 3^rd day was a fabulous day catching 189 Northern Pike & 44 Smallmouth bass including 8 Trophy size 4 at 19”.

Many Pike This Size Fishing by Dan at Fireside Lodge

Cathy Fishing for BIG Pike at Fireside Lodge

Dan & Mike had a double Trophy catch & if Butch didn’t loose his it

Great Tiger Musky Fishing by Will at Fireside Lodge

would have been a triple. 4^th day brought another cold front, catching some larger Pike & 9 Muskie as a group with Butch catching the two biggest Musky at a vey fat 33 & 35”, plus Mike had a 36” Pike, & Nick & Will both lost what they thought were over 40” Musky. 5^th & final day was an enormous day as they caught 351 fish as a group, mostly being Pike, but they also caught some huge trophy Smallmouth Bass several in the 19-19.5” range. All left having a blast & made reservations for 2016.

Will Fishing for HUGE Trophy Smallmouth Bass at Fireside Lodge

Great Smallmouth Bass Fishing by Mike at Fireside Lodge

Also back for their 3^rd trip was Mike & Janet Estes from Livonia, MI. DOA after supper they caught 8 Pike. 1^st day they had a real good day catching Northern Pike up to 32” & landed 3 Smallmouth over 17”. 2^nd day was a great day catching Northern Pike. 3^rd day was portage lake day where Janet caught her biggest Smallmouth ever landing an 18.5” Trophy. 4^th day was a GREAT Northern Pike day catching many

Trophy Smallmouth Bass caught by Janet Fishing

27”-33” fish plus they enjoyed the great weather in our remote peaceful wilderness atmosphere. 5^th day was more of the same & their 6^th day, despite high winds, had a another great day Pike fishing. Their last evening they went for their last ride up the lake minimizing to just a few fishing rods to enjoy the beautiful evening. The fish were biting as they caught 10 Northern Pike with about 8 coming from their favorite spot, which was the very 1^st spot the caught fish on their 1^st visit. Both had a very enjoyable stay & before departing made reservations for 2016.

Great Fly Fishing at Fireside Lodge for Northern Pike by Tom

For his 13^th consecutive year Steve Jensen, Springfield, MO returned

Big Pike on the Fly-Fly Fishing by Steve

bringing a good friend Tom Logan, Tallahassee, FL. & they were here to fly fish only. 1^st day despite severe cold front conditions they caught a lot of Northern Pike up to 30” fly-fishing. 2^nd day the wind gave them problems fly-fishing. 3^rd day had them Musky hunting with flies but the Muskie, as they often do, out smarted these two very good fly-fishers. Their last day was a super day fly-fishing for Northern Pike as they cautching so many they could not keep count. Both left having had a great time & Steve reserved his dates for 2016.

Many BIG Northern Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Troy

Returning for their 4^th trip were father son Troy & Javan Starkey, Creston, OH. with David Bowman, Wooster, OH & Daniel Vavra from Sterling, OH. 1^st day before breakfast each boat caught 7-9 Pike & a few Smallmouth Bass up to 17”. Rest of the day they caught several Smallmouth & Many Pike with Troy landing a 34”, 36” & HUGE 38.5” Pike.

Terrific Fishing for BIG Pike by David at Fireside Lodge

2^nd day they did great with Javan & Dan catching over 60 Pike & David landed a Trophy Smallmouth at 18.5”. 3^rd day had Javan & Dan each catching a big Smallmouth Bass all caught 21 Pike 30-34”. 4^th & 5^th days they all caught a lot of Northern Pike with Troy & Dave catching the most & largest fish landing most of their fish in the 30-35” range. Dan also caught his first Tiger Musky. 6^th & final day was good Pike fishing for all catching many 28-34”. All left having had a blast.


Triple Northern Pike catch Fishing by Zack, Tyler, Jordan at Fireside Lodge

Musky by Brian Klimes Fishing at Fireside Lodge

The Klimes family Group returned for the 4^th consecutive year

HUGE Trophy Smallmouth Bass by Kenny Fishing

headed by Brian & his boys Zack, Tyler, & Jordan from Willow Brook, IL, his brother Kenny & son Kameron from St Louis, MO area, brother Kerry & son Kody from Phoenix, AZ & Geno Dombrowski & Eddie Clark from Orland Park, IL. After a slower Start on day 1 they made up for it on day two catching over 150 Pike with a few Smallmouth mixed in. 3^rd

Plentiful BIG Smallmouth Bass Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Kameron

day was good as Kenny & Kameron got into some SB, Brian & his boys caught over 20 bigger Pike up to 33”, Kerry & Kody also got into some nice Northern Pike with Kody landing his largest ever on a fly rod measuring a fat 33”, & Geno & Eddy also caught plenty of Pike with Geno loosing a monster near the boat breaking his line.


Tyler with a BIG Northern Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge

Big Northern Pike HUGE Smile by Jordan Fishing at Fireside Lodge

4^th day Brian, Zack, Tyler & Jordan had a great day catching some nice Pike. Brian also caught a Muskie & the boys went swimming to relieve themselves of the heat. Kenny & Kameron got into the Smallmouth & Pike. 5^th & final day Brian & his boys really got into the pike again, Brian catching a Trophy Smallmouth Bass & Zack, using a lure I gave him the night before, caught a 35” Musky. All had a great time making family memories together which is the biggest catch of all. Thanks for choosing us to make our family memories.

Terrific Musky catch Fishing by Zack at Fireside Lodge

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

Biggest Pike Ever Fly-Fishing by Kody at Fireside Lodge

Hot Lures: Yo-Zuri, X-Rap, Blue Fox & Mepps Spinner, Rapala Swimming Minnow Spoons, Sinking Worm, Tommy Gumper

Hot Flies: Murdich Minnow

Catches of The Week: 40.5”, 40” Northern Pike, 40” Muskie, 19.5” Smallmouth Bass

Congrats to Kenny & Kerry on Their Retirement Fishing at Fireside Lodge

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

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Fireside Lodge Fishing Report 6/27 to 7/4 2015

HUGE Trophy 45-inch Muskie by Cole while fishing with Grandpa Lloyd at Fireside Lodge

Weather was excellent with high temperatures being 68 to 72F and lows in the 50’s having big rain events a few times giving us lots of water in concise bursts keeping the water levels up. The fishing was excellent, as you will see from the photos & fish tales below.

Trophy 42-inch Northern Pike by Steve Fishing at Fireside Lodge

Steve Dentinger Elgin, IL & good friend Ralph Fruehauf Tomball, TX

Big Smallmouth Bass Fishing by Travis

returned for their 2^nd year in a row & joining them this year was Ralph’s sons Todd Columbia Hgts, MN & Travis from Dallas, TX 1st day was a terrific start catching as a group over 120 northern Pike. 2^nd day was searching for Big fish & Steve came up with the prize landing a HUGE 41.5” 25lb+ Northern Pike with a girth that draped over Steve’s hands. Next day was a numbers day catching 30 Northern Pike per boat. 4^th day had

Walleye Fishing at Fireside Lodge

Ralph catching the biggest Northern Pike of his life landing a 41” Trophy. 5^th day had Todd & Travis off on a portage lake after some walleye. They accomplished their goal catching 11 walleye between 20-25” plus about 50+ Pike. 5^th & final day had the group catching well over 100 Northern Pike & a few Smallies. All left having a fabulous time making priceless memories.

Ralph with a Trophy 41-inch Northern Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge

42.5-inch Musky fishing at Fireside Lodge by AL Fish

12-Year consecutive year return guests Rob Delamatre & Al Fishhaber from Sandusky & Northfield, OH were excited to arrive. 1^st day these two started with a bang catching over 100 Northern Pike & Rob caught a HUGE 42.5” Musky that was following his prop. He sighted the fish, casted at it, & the Musky ate his Mepps Spinner. Both were able to see the entire event unfold.

GREAT Northern Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge

2^nd day they caught close to 30 Pike 28-36” & some Smallmouth Bass. Third day was a little tougher as Al said they had to work for the fish thy caught but still ended with a good day. 4^th day was a portage for Muskie catching a 32” & 35”er. 5^th day was spent catching many 28 to 36 inch Northern Pike. 6^th & final day Rob caught 42 Pike before lunch and both ended up with over 70 & were back to the dock by 2:30PM to start their travels home. They had a great time and intend on returning in 2016.

Another Big Muskie by Al Fishing at Fireside Lodge

Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Stacey

Long time return guest Terry Willis, son Lyle, friend Nate Hendricks Erwin, TN brother Joe from Spruce Pine, NC, along with Stacey & Traci Noblett from Dardanelle, AR arrived ready to fish. 1^st day Terry & Lyle caught 81 Northern Pike while Joe (fly-fishing) & Nate landed well over 40. Stacey & Traci had a special event as they saw 3 black bear. 2^nd day Stacey & Traci caught over 50 Pike and the rest of the crew had a similar day.

BIG Northern Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Richard

Also Joe learned a new technique called the “Do Noting Approach” to fly-fishing. 3^rd day Lyle was top dog as while Muskie fishing, & after seeing many fish, landed three. Great day Muskie fishing anywhere. 4^th day Terri & Lyle tore it up by catching 141 Northern Pike & Terri had 2 Muskie the biggest being a HUGE 40.5” Monster. Joe & Nate did very well also, Joe landing all his fly-fishing. 5th day Stacey & Traci did so well they had to quit after landing over 100 Northern Pike. They were worn out and plenty satisfied. All went home very happy but a little sad that their long awaited fishing trip came to an end.

Steve Sulc with 1 of several Musky Fishing at Fireside Lodge

Richard, Steve, & Rick Sulc from Chesterland, Chagrin Falls, & Plain City, OH were here for their 1^st visit. 1st day ever on our waters & they caught a lot of Northern Pike, then switched to Muskie fishing and saw more BIG fish than they had ever seen in their lives. 2nd day they caught 25-30 Smallmouth Bass & 15+ Pike 28 to 32”,

GIANT Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing by Rick

Steve landing a nice 36” Muskie. 3rd day this group did outstanding catching 105 Northern Pike & several Smallmouth Bass. 4th day was a portage where they caught some very nice Smallmouth, a few Northern Pike, & Steve landed a 39.5” Muskie. Rick had a much larger one on but lost it near the boat when his lure broke in the intense fight. They also had countless follows by BIG Muskie. 5^th day they caught more Pike than they could count having an absolute ball. 6^th & final day they were in search for Mr. Big. Well they saw a few trophies and caught some nice pike up to the mid 30”range. All had a wonderful time & intend on returning.

Best Smallmouth Bass Fly-Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Dennis

Richard Santos returned for his 2^nd consecutive year with good friend Dennis Collins from Pasco & Kennewick, WA. 1^st day Dennis said it was the best Smallmouth Bass Fly Fishing he has experienced. 2^nd day was a little slower but still caught plenty of

Amazing Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Ron

fish. 3^rd day they caught many Pike & Smallmouth Bass with Dennis catching a GIANT 19.5” Trophy Fly Fishing. 4^th day was a quantity day catching countless smaller Smallmouth but Richard came up with a Trophy 18.5”er. 5^th day lots of bass were caught especially after the heavy rain the Smallmouth turning on hitting top water lures & flies. 6^th & final day was fabulous catching many Pike & Smallmouth Bass, some Trophy size, with Dennis catching a 19” and on the last fish of the day Richard came up with an 18.5” Master Anglers Smallie. They had a Great fishing trip, Dennis saying that we have premier Smallmouth Bass lakes & is paradise for any fishing especially a fly fisher.

Super Northern Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Roy & Ross

Long time return guests Father & son Roy & Ross Lagerblade from Rock Island, IL & Crestwood, KY brought both of Ross’s sons Reese & Rex for their traditional family fishing adventure. DOA they caught fish immediately with Roy having the catch of the day landing a 37.5” Northern Pike. 1^st full day was FABULOUS as they caught 74 Northern Pike, Roy catching another 37” Pike, but the catch of the day was by 10-year old Rex landing a HUGE 20.5” Trophy

Reese with his Biggest Smallmouth Bass Fishing at Fireside Lodge

Smallmouth Bass. Next day was all about Muskie fishing getting a lot of BIG follows but no takers. 3^rd day was a portage for Muskie with Roy coming out the top dog landing a nice 35”er. 4^th day was their best day ever fishing as they caught over 120 Northern Pike having a number of triples & catching 4 at once a few times. Roy & Ross said they never saw anything like it in all their years fishing and the kids had an absolute ball. 5^th day was a great finish catching 40 Northern Pike while in search of the Big Beast which eluded them. All had a great time and made many 3 generation memories.

BIG Northern Pike by Cole While Fishing at Fireside Lodge

Returning for the 2^nd time were father Shawn, & sons Sean, & David Rellinger Chicago, IL and nephew Rob from Glen Ellyn, IL. 1^st day was spent portaging for Musky & Smallmouth Bass. Rob caught his 1^st ever Muskie, they all had many follows plus David, Shawn, & Sean all caught HUGE Smallmouth Bass at 17.75”, 18.5”, & 19”. 2^nd day they applied some new techniques with suspending & sinking lures catching some very nice Pike in the 30”+ class. 3^rd day was a portage experience for Sean & David while Shawn & Rob were after bigger Pike all catching fish & Sean & David have many stories to tell & memories to share of their portage experience. 4^th day was nothing less than fabulous as they caught over 40 Northern Pike per boat. 5th & final day they again caught many Northern Pike but got pushed off the water by heavy rain & lighting. All left having had a GREAT time.

BIG Tiger Musky Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Lloyd

Guest since 1995 Lloyd Morton returned with grandson Cole from Lawrence, OH. DOA they got a great start catching several Pike about 20 Smallmouth Bass Cole landing an 18.5” Trophy. 1^st day was TERRIFIC as they caught well over 50 Pike & 20 Smallmouth including 3 Trophies using the drop shot rig for the Bass. 2^nd day was a little tougher but still caught some nice Smallies. 3^rd day was

HUGE 19.5-inch Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing at Fireside Lodge

another great day catching Smallmouth Bass both landing trophy fish & also had some Pike mixed in. 4^th day was a very good day as they caught some nice Northern Pike & Grandpa & Grandson caught back-to-back Muskie. Lloyd’s was a 38.5” Tiger Muskie looking small compared to Cole’s Trophy Musky measuring 45” & having a GIANT girth. Well Cole was the talk of the dinning room that evening & all noticed the smiles on their faces. 5^th day they had a good day fishing between T-Storms catching 14 Nice Northern Pike, Cole had a 34” plus a 35” Muskie & 36 “ Tiger Musky. They ended their trip catching Pike & some big Smallmouth Bass each landing 5 Trophy Smallmouth Bass for the week. The biggest catch however was the memories made between Grandpa & Grandson.

44.5-inch Trophy Tiger Musky by David Fishing at Fireside Lodge

Long time guests since 1993, David & Kathie Drake from West Terra Haute, IN were glad to be back. DOA was great as they caught at least a dozen Smallmouth Bass 16.5 to 18” with Kathie catching a Trophy at 18.5”. 1^st day had them catching Smallmouth & a few Pike. 2^nd day was great as they caught over 30 nice Smallmouth Bass each catching a Trophy over 18”. 3^rd day was a day spent

Trophy Smallmouth Bass by Kathie Fishing at Fireside Lodge

fishing unfamiliar areas for Northern Pike doing very well & David had a HUGE Muskie grab his lure but spit it out instantly before he was able to set the hook. 4^th day was fun catching about 14 Smallmouth between 15-17” & David caught a 36” Pike with HUGE girth, before they got chased in at noon by T-Storms. 5^th & final day was a fabulous day with an amazing ending as at 4:30 PM David caught the freshwater fish of his life landing a huge 44.5” Tiger Musky & after that Kathie caught 5 Big Smallmouth Bass one after another with the largest being an 18.5” Trophy. They left having another wonderful time fishing in our wilderness atmosphere at Fireside Lodge.

GREAT Size Northern Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge

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