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 2^nd 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.

Make sure to go to our website listed below to see the 2011 & 2010 Photos

For Fabulous Video, Wildlife Events, and Current Happenings go to our Social Sites Below.

FaceBook

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fireside-Lodge/304211179043?v=wall

YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/user/FiresideLodgeFish

Twitter

http://twitter.com/FiresideFish

Hot Lures: #13 Jointed Rapala, Slug-O rigged Wacky Style, Bomber Long-A Jointed, Mepps Musky Killer, Sinking Worm, Live Leeches,

Top-Prop, Red Blade Mepps #5, Deep Diving Crank Bait, Blue Fox Spinner

Catches of The Week: Smallmouth Bass 13 at 18”, 3 at 18.5”, 4 at 19”, 2 at 19.5”, & 1 at 20”, Countless between 17-18”.

40” Muskie and many Pike between 30 to 38”.

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

Fireside Lodge Fishing Report 7/30 to 8/6 2011

Fireside Lodge Fishing Report 7/30 to 8/6 2011

Hello from Fireside Lodge in Northwest Ontario, Can

ada where the weather was beautiful this & the fishing was great this week. Highs were 80 to 85 with lows ranging in the high 50’s.

The Holesinger family of Don & Audrey and their son Matt from Fulton and Roscoe, IL returned for their 5^th consecutive year. Audrey made sure she had her own measuring tape this year as last year there was a doubt the accuracy using Matt’s beat up rusty old tape. After a slow morning they got right into a bunch of 14 to 16.5” Smallmouth Bass during the afternoon. 2^nd day they did great only counting the BIG Smallmouth of which they landed 44, and Matt tied into & caught a BIG 37.5” Northern Pike with HUGE girth. 3^rd day was another fabulous day catching well over 65 Smallmouth plus Matt caught another big 34” Pike, & Don caught an 18” Master Anglers Award Smallie. 4^th & final day was the absolute best ever, as before supper they caught 79 Smallmouth with most being 15 to 18” & Audrey landed the 18” Master Anglers Award Smallmouth. WOW!!! During their cabin time laughter could be hear as they enjoyed having some good old fashion fun playing a few board & card games. All left making another set of wonderful family memories.

Father & son Bob & Ron Ramsey from Leavenwoth, KS & Sewanee, TN returned for their 7^th year in a row. DOA these two got right into fish catching Northern Pike & a Muskie before supper. 1^st full day they had some big follows & Ron lost a Huge Muskie after breaking his leader. A few minutes after this event Ron and Bob watched this huge fish jump clear out of the water & throw Ron’s lure. This is when they realized how HUGE this fish was. 2^nd day had them getting a lot of follows from Big toothy critters, but getting a hook up was not easy. They did catch some average size Pike. 3^rd day was a portage for Musky. Well they found Musky having 18-20 follows from different fish, but they were very lazy & at times had them opening there mouth right behind the bait, but then they would turn away & wave goodbye with their tail. Their final two days they caught a good number of sizable Pike in the 28 to 31” range, a few in the mid 30’s & also saw a few more monsters that teased them again. Better to not catch these big fish trying than not trying at all. Both left making another set of wonderful memories at Fireside Lodge, to hold for years to come.

First time Guests, David & Denise Law from East Bethel, MN did great their first day finding bigger Northern Pike, each lading their personal best at 36.5 & 33”. Both commented that all of the Pike caught were very thick, larger than any Pike they catch in Minnesota. 2^nd day was a slower 89-degree day. It did pick up in the evening after supper as it seemed chartreuse grubs were the ticket. Last day was their best as they caught a bunch of big Smallmouth & Pike with Dave landing a 37” & a trophy 40.5” Northern Pike along with fish in the 28 to 33” range. Dave thanked us for their fabulous first experience fishing in Canada & have all intentions on returning in the future.

Back for their 2^nd visit were Denver & Christi West from Lakeview, AR. They got right to it as they caught a lot of Smallmouth Bass on their first day, including big fish, Denver landing two Master Anglers Award Trophy Bass at 18 & 18.25”. 2^nd day was slower overall, but for Christi it was a good day as she caught most of the fish. We’ll blame this one on the near 90-degree heat. Terrific Smallmouth fishing was on the menu for their 3^rd and final day. Denver said that there were times periods in the morning when they caught Smallmouth on every cast. Lot were in the 14 to 15” range, & a dark green gitzit was their meal ticket for Smallmouth today. Their last evening was spent catching more Smallmouth but mostly savoring their time in the Canadian Wilderness enjoying one last beautiful sunset together. Audrey & I were honored to find out on Denver & Christi’s last night that this trip was to celebrate their 35^th Wedding Anniversary. Thanks for spending this special with us at Fireside Lodge.

Frank Poehlmann & Mike Coble from Schwenksville & Phoenixville, PA were fishing at Fireside Lodge for their 1^st time. 1^st full day fishing they caught both Smallmouth Bass & Northern Pike as they were learning their way up the lake. 2^nd day had the heat sending them in early, but they did well catching Northern Pike & Smallmouth Bass, with Frank landing a big 17.5” Smallie. 3^rd day was intended to be a Smallmouth day but after having a double bite off on their 1^st cast, they put leaders on and continued to catch Pike after Pike having their best Northern Pike day ever. Next few days these two caught a lot of fish while getting through a few slow periods & experienced several 1^st’s. Frank caught his first Muskie, Mike landed his first Pike while fly-fishing, and Mike caught his biggest Northern Pike ever measuring 38”. Last day was a great send off as they caught both Smallmouth Bass & Northern Pike, & while Mike was fishing with a Gulp Leech on a plain hook with no leader he hooked a 38” Muskie. Mike battled this fish for 15 minutes and ended up landing it. Great catch & a great end to a fabulous fishing trip.

Long time return guests since 1993 Paul & Susan Frost from N Quincy, MA were here to relax in the wilderness while enjoying the sport fishing & in Susan’s case fly-fishing. First day had them catching a few larger Smallmouth Bass. 2^nd day was great as they not only had some great fishing but Susan caught 5 Smallies while fly-fishing & Paul caught a Master Anglers Award 18.5” Trophy Smallmouth, however the story is just as good as the catch. While using a Pop-R surface lure Paul had a fish explode on the lure. At that point the fight was so strong Paul thought in to be a BIG Muskie, however when they got a closer look he had 2 big Smallmouth Bass hooked on the same lure. After a great battle it turned out that Paul was fighting a 16.5” & an 18.5” Smallmouth at the same time. One fish was hooked on each treble hook. Incredible catch by Paul. 3^rd day had these two searching for big toothy critters, but while on the search ran into Smallmouth Bass & caught a bunch of fish. As for the Pike & Muskie it was back to the map & discussing locations, lures, & presentation. On their last two days both did very well catching sizable Smallmouth Bass & Susan shined as she connected up with many Smallmouth while fly-fishing. Her go to fly was an olive color wooly bugger. In the process we both learned something about line-to-line knots. Right Susan? Paul also caught a BIG 36.5” Northern Pike & in the end most of their goals were accomplished. Both and a fabulous time making some great outdoor memories together & hope to return in the future.

Scott Kimball from Otathe, KS returned with his son Sam (12) for their third trip. Even though Sam is age 12 their main purpose is to hunt large toothy critters. First day they caught Pike & caught a BIG 40.5” Master Anglers Award Trophy Northern Pike. Sam did a great job of netting & photographing his Dad’s catch. 2^nd day had these two catching a lot of Pike. 3^rd day was spent hunting for BIG toothy critters & they did find them getting a lot of follows. Sam had a Musky come up on his lure several times that was approaching 50”. Could you imagine the fight that would have been? They also caught 15-20 Smallmouth Bass. The next several days became a mission hunting that BIG Musky in the 50” range, & Sam got the fever bad. After seeing a number of these big monsters he would come to supper every evening asking about lures & presentations to coax one of these fish to hit. Loved seeing this young boy get so involved in sport of fishing & hunt of the ultimate BIG fish. On their last day after hunting for the monsters again they decided to change tactics. Well, all heck broke loose as they caught over 25 Northern Pike in just a couple of hours. Everyone enjoyed hearing the excitement of the story through Sam’s interpretation. After Sam told his story we discussed some things, we both decided that the biggest catch of all for Sam & his Dad was the memories made while fishing together for the week. Thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge to make these special memories.

Back for their third visit were Jim & Mike Stalknecht from Ringwood, NJ & Guthrie Center, IA and Mike Crescente & Joe Link from Highland Lakes & Ringwood, NJ. Early bird gets the worm panned out for Jim as being and early riser & fishing by himself before breakfast caught a HUGE 40” Muskie. A challenge landing by yourself but Jim managed and penciled an outline of the fish on the bottom of the boat so all could see. That’s setting the bar!! The rest of the day all caught some Northern Pike & Smallmouth along with seeing many large follows from both Musky & Pike. 2^nd day was fabulous as they caught over 80 Northern Pike, but not without effort. Receiving very little rain our creeks leading to other lakes have become very shallow and the Beavers have been hard at work, so they had to contend with 3 dams and a few shallow silt bars, but it was well worth it. 3rd day had Jim & Joe Musky hunting and they did great having many follows while hooking up on three Muskie, & Joe landed two. Jim lost the biggest fish at the boat when the fish spit out his buck-tail. Mike & Rick did well fishing for Pike catching some in the 28-32” range. 4^th day had the rolls reversed as Mike & Rick were Musky fishing & they also did great hooking up on 5, catching 3 with Rick getting his first ever Muskie landing a very BIG 38.5” Tiger Musky. Mike caught a 28”er but lost the fish of the day believed to be well over 40”. 5^th & final day Mike & Rick did great at an out lake catching 40+ Pike & 13 walleye before supper. That same day at evening time they were very excited to tell us they saw the biggest Musky ever. Mike & Rick said they can’t wait to come back next year to chase this monster.

First timers Michael (Mick) Russo & Ron Suda from E Moriches & Patchogue, NY were here for their first Canadian Wilderness Fishing Adventure. 1^st day these guys did great catching over 20 bigger Smallmouth, 12 Northern Pike & Ron came up with a 38” Muskie. Great for 1^st time ever fishing this Little Vermilion Lake System. 2^nd day these two tore the Northern Pike up catching well over 50 near 60, & several nice BIG Smallmouth Bass mixed in. 3^rd day they were off to an out lake to try their hand at Walleye fishing. “FABUOUS” described their day as they caught close to 40 walleye with all but a couple being 20-26”. They got great photos & said the fish were hitting & fighting extra hard. 4^th day was another “FABULOUS” day for these two as the had about 30 Musky follows, catching 4, along with having great Smallmouth fishing both landing 18”+ trophies. A very exciting happening was watching Mick catch both of his Muskie on surface poppers while fishing for Smallmouth with 6bl test no leader. WOW!!! They captured video of a Muskie attacking & coming completely out of the water on Mick’s popper. Look for this soon on our YouTube site. 5^th & final day these two finished strong catching 15 nice walleye, 30+ Pike and had the opportunity to catch two big Muskie. In fact after Ron did the figure 8 for about 15-20 seconds a BIG Musky finally lunged & actually had it’s mouth around Ron’s lure, but in the excitement Ron set the lure just a second too early and pulled the lure right from the grasp of this monsters mouth. We’ve all done this, & as I always say “That’s Fishing”! Both of these Long Islanders had fabulous time fishing with us for the first time & were talking at supper on their last night about a return trip in 2013.

Long time guest Rob Little with son Aaron from Toronto, ON returned with Rob’s long time friend Michael Winton & his son Tyler from Plano, TX. DOA before supper they got to a great start catching 20 Northern Pike and several Smallmouth Bass in just a few hours. Tyler himself caught 8. 1^st full day they did fabulous catching plenty of Pike & Smallmouth Bass as Tyler & Aaron had a blast hooking & landing these feisty fighters. Michael, being his first time ever in our location was really taken by the fabulous wilderness setting we have to offer, and mentioned how he would love to get a group together from Texas, as he was sure they would be amazed also. 2^nd and final day. Yes, you read this correct, these fathers made the effort to come from very far away making time to fish with their 10 year old sons. Hurrah to these fathers for such a GREAT effort. This great effort will surely pay dividends in future years to come. This last day was full of both Smallmouth Bass & Pike action with Tyler landing a 25” and Aaron a 24” Pike and all caught many pike up to 28”, and a bunch of Smallmouth. From my observation I think the kids definitely wore out their dads. All had loads of fun and made memories to last a lifetime.

Make sure to go to our website listed below to see the 2011 Photos

For Fabulous Video, Wildlife Events, and Current Happenings go to our Social Sites Below.

FaceBook

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fireside-Lodge/304211179043?v=wall

YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/user/FiresideLodgeFish

Twitter

http://twitter.com/FiresideFish

Hot Lures: Surface Popper, Swim Bait, Chartreuse Blue Fox Spinner, Green Mepps Black Fury, Fluke, Tube Jig, Twister Tail, Burt Bait, Live Leeches

Fly of the Week: Olive color Wooly Bugger

Catches of The Week: 40.5” Northern Pike, 19.5” Smallmouth Bass 38.5” Tiger Muskie, 38” Muskie, 20” & 16” Smallmouth caught on a popper at the same time, 26” Walleye

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

Fireside Lodge Fishing Report 7/16 to 7/30 2011

Fireside Lodge Fishing Report 7/16 to 7/30 2011

Hello from Fireside Lodge in Northwest Ontario, Canada. HOT! HOT! HOT! That goes for the weather & fishing! It was gorgeous weather wise having temperatures in the high 70’s to high 80’s, & the fishing was great as you will read about below.

Guests since 2002, Bergen family of father Tim & two sons Joe & Adam from Orland Park, IL were back bringing friend Eddie Tracy from Monee, IL. First day was a great Northern Pike day as they caught 47. Second day they were in search for big fish targeting Muskie with great results. Joe caught a 36.5”. Adam a 32.5” & Eddie caught his 1^st ever Muskie at 28.5”. They also caught some big pike with both Tim & Adam landing 35.5”ers & Joe, Adam, & Eddie were full of excitement as they described a Huge (45-50”) Musky that followed their lures 4 different times and a 5^th just cruising by there boat for a look. Adam said at one point he was shaking. 3^rd day was a little slow but the fourth day was very special. They set out to catch Muskie & that’s exactly what happened as they landed 7 total. Eddie had the largest at 37.5”, Joe caught a 36”er, and Adam a 35” Musky. Adam & Joe each caught a 33” Pike and to top it off Tim & Adam both caught trophy Smallmouth Bass, Tim’s being huge at 19” and Adam’s was a MONSTER measuring 21”. All went home having a FANTASTIC trip making another set of family fishing memories.

Long time guests, 16 years, returning consecutively since 1995 are Jerry & Wanda Miller from Erwin, TN. 1^st day Jerry guided them to catching over 35 Smallmouth & 10 Pike. The Bass were big with Jerry landing two over 18” & Wanda lost the biggest of the day. 2^nd day was less numbers, but a lot of quality Pike & Smallies. Big excitement was watching a huge bear swimming across the lake for 25 minutes. Jerry really got into Smallmouth between 15 to 17” along with some nice Northern Pike & Jerry lost a Pike 35-37”. 3^rd day Jerry got into some Big Smallmouth 16 to 18” using surface lures. The action was very exciting always anticipating the strike. 4^th day was short on the water because of some severe thunderstorms, however they still caught some beautiful Smallies. 5^th day it was so windy they decided to take a day of rest. On their last day Jerry decided to try some new areas. They caught some very nice Smallmouth in the 14 to 16” range to end of their trip in anticipation of their next visit in 2012.

For their 8^th consecutive year father & son George & Josh Carney with Grandpa Tom Miller all from Madison, WI returned to Fireside Lodge. 1^st day Lots of Pike was on the menu for these three & Josh was the leader in number & size. 2^nd day they caught too many Pike to count & it was Tom having the hot hand. Next was portage day for Muskie & Smallmouth, but since it was over 90 with sun & high humidity they targeted Smallmouth & did very well catching many in the 14 to 17” range & Tom landed a small Muskie. 4^th day was textbook fishing before thunderstorms rolled in, & the action got fast a furious catching many bigger pike in the 30 to 35” range & some nice Smallmouth. Despite high winds their fifth day was very productive catching many Northern Pike & several Smallmouth Bass. 6^th & final day they got into some Bigger Northern Pike with George catching several large 30-33” Pike. All had a special family fishing trip & are hoping to return in 2012.

Returning for their 4^th time were Chris Grimes, Robert Fisher, from Thurmont & Frederick, MD & Dennis Winters with his son Joseph from Ogden, UT. 1^st day they caught fish but didn’t set the world on fire. We discussed fish location & presentation & the 2nd day was much better with Chris & Bob catching Smallies, Chris landed a nice 33” Musky & they had 6 other follows. 3^rd day was their best as they caught countless Northern Pike with Chris & Bob also getting into a bunch of Smallmouth. Chris landed two trophies at 18.5” and a HUGE 19”er. Next day was a 1 day tournament in Terry Lake. Opposing team players fished with each other for a half day to control scores & to create competitiveness. The rules were 1 point for each Northern Pike & 5 points for each walleye caught. This was created by a plea from Dennis & Joseph who were behind in the weekly competition on the largest fish in each category of Smallmouth, Muskie, & Northern Pike. Well, Dennis was the only person who caught walleye. Catching three put him and Joseph in the winning circle for that day. 5^th day was very windy but despite the adverse conditions all caught a lot of fish, both Northern Pike & Smallmouth Bass. Chris landed 2-18” Smallmouth & Bob caught 1 18”er. Dennis & Joe caught all Northern Pike, too many to count. 6^th & final day had them all Musky hunting having follows and landing 3 with Chris catching the largest at 32.5”. Chris also caught an 18 & 18.5” along with Bob catching 2-18” Trophy Smallmouth Bass.

David Jewell, Wendell Hill, Robert Nutter, & Michael Plumley from Pineville, Foster, Clarksburg, & Hamlin, WV were back for their 3^rd trip. All caught a bunch of Smallies on DOA, & before breakfast on their 1^st day David a Bob had 25 & Todd & Wendell caught 12, most on surface with a Torpedo before breakfast. The rest of the day they caught lots more on #3 Mepps Spinners. 2nd day was even better catching 40 to 50 Smallmouth/Pike per boat, having a mix of sizes up to 17.5” on Smallies & up to 30” on Pike. Third day was mostly Smallmouth Bass with a

few Pike mixed in, and Smallies ranged up to 17.5”. 4th day was full of action as they caught more Northern Pike than they could keep count of, 40-50 per boat, plus had ex

cellent Smallmouth fishing landing many along with a lot being 15 to 17.5”. 5^th & final day, despite windy conditions, they still caught plenty of Smallmouth Bass, ending their trip on a high note.

David Powell from Springfield, IL & Jim Stark from Mission Viejo, CA returned for their 3^rd trip in as many years. 1^st day they caught a bunch of Northern Pike somewhere around 40+ with lots of other action. Next day was a Muskie & bigger Pike quest. So after discussion of locations, depth, & presentation they went out and caught a number of bigger Pike but the Musky were no shows. Jim did so well he had to replace a lure that got all busted up. That evening they also figured out the Smallmouth catching them up to 17.5” using a small x-rap. 3^rd day Closs Lake portage was their choice & even though they did not land a Muskie Jim lost one. They also had some follows & caught Smallmouth. 4^th day was fabulous as they caught about 40 Northern Pike & the action seemed non-stop with all of the fish lost & follows. Both left having a fabulous time & hope to return in 2012.

Six time guest Tony Kujawa, from Lansing, IL returned with his daughter Lauren for her first experience fishing in Canada. 1^st day was all about Pike as they caught many & had many follows. 2^nd day was a portage for Muskie & Smallmouth Bass being a perfect day for Musky as a weather change was expected. It sure changed as severe thunderstorms appeared in the early afternoon. The Musky were on cue with textbook writings becoming very active just before the storm hit. Lauren had 3 follows, which scared the daylight out of her, & Tony hooked up on three Muskie in a short time period, & along with Lauren’s help landed one. The photo shows the weather conditions, as it was a completely black sky behind Tony in his Musky photo. Their last two days were full of fun catching fish & making memories between father & daughter in the Canadian Wilderness. As a side story Lauren, having never been here before, ended up knowing another guest, Eddie Tracy above, as the attend the same High School. What are the chances of that!

Dave Henry returned to Fireside Lodge with his son Jake, along with Tim Traveny from Palmyra, PA & Bob Mezo from Dixon, IL. 1^st day was slow but they still caught some Pike. 2^nd day had Jake catching his 1^st Musky at 33” & Dave landed a 21” Monster Trophy Smallmouth Bass. They all also had a ball catching Northern Pike & Smallmouth Bass. 3^rd & final day all had their best day catching well over 100 Northern Pike as a group along with catching some BIG Smallmouth Bass. Bobby caught a GIANT 22” Trophy Smallmouth. This ended their short trip with a BANG, & all hope to return to pick up where they left off next time.

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.

FaceBook

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fireside-Lodge/304211179043?v=wall

YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/user/FiresideLodgeFish

Twitter

http://twitter.com/FiresideFish

Hot Lures: Polish Pike, X-Rap, Mepps Spinner, Blue Fox Spinner, Torpedo,

Catches of The Week: Smallmouth Bass, 1-22”, 2-21”, 19”, 18.5”

Musky 37.5”, Many Pike 33-37”.

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

Emailto:fireside@xplornet.com

Fireside Lodge Fishing Report 7/9 to 7/16 2011

Fireside Lodge Fishing Report 7/9 to 7/16 2011

Hello from Fireside Lodge in Northwest Ontario, Canada. Weather in one word was gorgeous having 1 short rain even & highs in the mid to upper 70’s most of the week.

Jim & Rosemary Marschke from Tavares, FL returned for their second trip with us at Fireside Lodge. First day we had some rainstorms, so Jim was searching for fish himself & after patience & perseverance he found some fast action Smallmouth Bass in a drop off near weeds. Next day they both did great catching Smallmouth Bass with Rosemary landing a Master Anglers Award 18.5”er. Third day had them fishing for toothy critters & they did fabulous catching somewhere around 35 nice fish. On another day they almost repeated by landing 30+ Pike with Rosemary again catching the biggest fish. Last day was a shorter day on the water enjoying there last moments in our great wilderness setting they have fallen in love with. In this area they call it “Getting Bushed”. Both left saying there stay with us was fabulous & would definitely return.

The Dobson family Dave, Terri, & Kaitlin from Milwaukee, WI returned for their 6^th consecutive year. On the evening of their DOA they got right into fish landing 10 Northern Pike & Dave caught a BIG 37” Pike, his personal best. 1^st full day they did well on Smallmouth Bass catching a bunch & Kaitlin set the bar landing an 18” Trophy Mater Anglers Smallie. 2^nd day was a trip up a creek in anticipation of Pike action. No disappointment here as the caught well over 50 Northern Pike. Next day, with the weather giving us a cool temps, they relaxed & enjoyed the wilderness atmosphere. After supper was their fishing time catching a few Smallmouth on the surface & captured a beautiful sunset. 4^th day was a great family day as they caught Smallmouth & Northern Pike, had a nice break by Twin Falls enjoying this natural wonder, and concluded their day with Terri & Kaitlin taking their traditional Kayak tour. All had a fabulous trip & hope to return again next year. Thanks for making some of you precious family memories with us at Fireside Lodge.

Father & Son Jack & Steven Starnes from Wise & Duffield, VA were back f or their 7^th year in a row

. 1^st day they caught just under 100 fish, about 75 Smallmouth & 18 Pike including several 18-19”ers, and Steven caught a 20.25” MONSTER. Next day was 20 Smallies about 65 Pike. Landing some big ones, catching 3 Muskie with Steven & Jack each catching 1 over 40”. Third day had them catching 40

Pike, 12 Smallmouth and 1 more Musky. 4^th day they caught 30 Pike and 25 Smallmouth Bass, landing an

d losing some BIG Pike. 5^th day had them catching about 25 Pike and just a few Smallmouth, however Jack landed two huge Pike in the 38-40inch range with enormous girth. Next day they had an unbelievable Musky fishing & Muskie catching day as these two landed 9 Muskie, Jack catching the MONSTER, the only Tiger Musky measuring 40.5-inches. In the picture the fish’s head is bigger than Jack’s. They also caught about 20 Smallies with Jack landing a 19”er with a giant girth. These photos are a must see!! La

st day sent them off with about 40 fish, mostly Pike & before leaving they made their reservations for 2012.

Marilyn & Joe Foos from Alpharetta, GA were back for their second trip with us in as many years. First day fishing they had a FABULOUS Northern Pike day, catching over 50. Second day was all about Smallmouth Bass as they had a very good day catching 14 to 17 inch fish. Third day was slower due to the wind & cool front conditions, Fourth day had these two tearing up the Pike again landing over 30, and also caught 12 nice Smallmouth up to 17-inches. Fifth day they caught a bunch of Smallmouth Bass having lots of action. Also, they enjoyed some time by Twin Falls after eating lunch having an all around great day. 6^th day was their best day ever as the caught many Northern Pike (countless) including 10 over 30” and big Smallmouth Bass 16 to 17.5” and Joe got a trophy 18”er. On their remaining 3 days they continued to do well catching both Smallmouth & Northern Pike. Marilynn lost the BIGGEST Smallmouth of her lifetime during the netting process & Joe said it was HUGE. The debate was weather it was lost because of Joe’s netting or Marilyn’s loose drag. I decided it best be left at a team effort & all agreed. Also, Joe lost a GIANT Musky at boat-side as the advantage went to the fish because all Joe was using was a jig, and all be got back was the wire eye from he jig. As they say “That’s Fishing”. Also, Marilynn got her wish of hot weather & she went for a mid-afternoon swim on her last two days. Both had a FABULOSU stay and made reservations for 2012 before leaving.

Fishing at Fireside Lodge for there 1^st time were Ken Coleman from Traverse City, MI his son Ken (KC), from Houston, Texas and Brad Jensen from Rogers, MN. DOA they went out and caught about 12 Northern Pike several Smallmouth Bass & a Muskie. GREAT START!!! That same evening the action was great on surface Smallmouth Bass. First full day they had a very active morning catching a lot of Northern Pike with a few Smallmouth Bass mixed in. Second day they caught a lot of a Northern Pike again while exploring a new section of water on Little Vermilion Lake. Ken said it was a quality day with a lot of pike landed in the 30-34” range. Short Story: As Brad was fighting a Pike Ken tried to net his fish before he was able to reel in his lure. As his lure sat idle in the water a big Pike slammed it. Lucky he was able to hold on with the result being a double. All left have a great 3 days of fishing and memories that will last a lifetime.

First timers were fly-fisher brothers Jim & Bill Lewis from Andreson & Gladwater, TX. First day they caught some & lost a number of Smallmouth. Second day was fabulous as they caught to many Pike to count using Enrique Puglisi Sliders & a Dahlberg Diver. Third day brought the action and quality Northern Pike fishing with Jim having the hot hand catching most of the fish as the same flies were producing as the day before. Brother Bill was expecting Jim to brag in the dinning room about how he out fished him on the water, however Jim was very considerate and let Bill’s anticipation tell the story of the day. Last half day they did good catching Smallmouth and a few Pike. Both left enjoying themselves making another set of fishing memories between brothers.

Kent Williams & Bill Black from Atlanta, GA. returned to Fireside Lodge for their 8^th consecutive year. On their DOA before supper, just in a few hours, they caught a dozen Northern Pike. GREAT START!! First full day the caught many Pike including two huge 37/38 inchers that weighed 18-20lbs each having a giant girth. GREAT DAY!!! Second day was suppose to be a Smallmouth day but turned out to be another GREAT pike fishing/catching day as these two landed over 30 BIG Pike, almost all being over 30”, Bills biggest being 35” & Kent’s was 37”. Both had huge girth and Kent also caught a 38” heavy Muskie. As for Smallmouth Bill did catch a trophy 19” Master Anglers Award Bass. 3rd day was one of those tough fishing days, according to Kent, but they still caught over 20 fish. Great marketing when a very challenging day at Fireside Lodge still produces over 20 fish!!! Thanks Kent & Bill. Fourth & final day had these two having fabulous day with Bill catching over 20 fish & Kent had 15, but Kent did it his way, which obviously worked later in the day. Both had a terrific stay & were talking about returning in 2012 during August or September so the trip does not conflict with Bill’s 50^th wedding anniversary. An early congrats to Bill & his wife, and thanks for making your fishing memories with us at Fireside Lodge.

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.

FaceBook

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fireside-Lodge/304211179043?v=wall

YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/user/FiresideLodgeFish

Twitter

http://twitter.com/FiresideFish

Hot Lures: Pointer Minnow, X-Rap, Blue Fox Spinner, Black Fury Mepps, Silver Minnow Spoon

Flies of The Week: Enrique Puglisi Sliders, Dahlberg Diver

Catches of The Week: 40.5” Tiger Musky, 38” Musky. 20”, 19” Smallmouth. 2-40” Northern Pike, 3-38”Pike many 32-40”, 2 people caught 9 Musky in one day. WOW!!!!!

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

Emailto:fireside@xplornet.com