Fishing Reports at Fireside Lodge

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Fireside Lodge Fishing Report 8/8 to 8/15 2015

GIANT Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Tyler Heath

This week was a mixed bag having a few warm days, a few average days but the fish were on catching numbers and size.

Nice Muskie fishing by Andy at Fireside Lodge

Returning group since 1994 of Mike Strohl, Jay Lind, Indian Trail &

Muskie Have HUGE Girth Fishing at Fireside Lodge

Mattews NC. Jeff Lind, Liverpool, NY. Mike Muir, Knoxville, TN. & Andrew & Thomas Hurdman Chester, NJ & Jacksonville, FL 1^st day this group accounted for over 35 fish per boat or 105+ fish mostly Northern Pike. 2^nd day was a tremendous day as a group catching 250 Northern Pike several Smallmouth Bass & Andy caught a 35” Muskie.

Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing by Tom at Fireside Lodge

3^rd day they all did well catching 30-40 fish per boat, Tom landed a Giant Trophy 20”+ Smallmouth, & Mike M with Jeff while Muskie fishing hooked 4 & landed 2 very nice Musky in the mid 30” range. Many of the Pike caught were 30-36”, Mike S coming up with the largest at 37.5”. 4^th & final day was terrific Pike catching day as they said they landed over 50 each making the total over 300 in one day for the group.

Great Fishing for BIG Pike at Fireside Lodge by Tom

Returning for his their 2^nd time were father & sons Tom, Jim, & Jeff

Jeff with a Big Northern Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge

McGlade from Palatine, IL. 1^st day was great catching 34 fish being a mix of Northern Pike & Smallmouth & Jim landed the largest Pike at 34” with Tom landing the biggest Smallmouth at 18” & 17.5”. 2^nd day was even better catching 51 fish mostly Pike 90% being 28-34”plus the biggest was Jim’s at 36.5”. Jeff also lost a

Double Pike catche Fishing at Fireside Lodge

big fish & had some large follows & all finised the day with a triple Pike catch on their last cast. It was also a special day being Tom’s birthday, and ended with all three siting on the screened in porch, having great conversation between father & sons, while seeing about 30 shooting stars, That’s a moment for the memory book. 3^rd & final day was there best day catching 48 Northern Pike with a lot being 30-35”. All left having had a wonderful stay & hope to return in the near future.

Huge 39-inch Northern Pike Fishing by Ron at Fireside Lodge

Double 16" Smallmouth Bass on 1 cast

Ron Vincent from Sherrills Ford, NC returned for his 16^th consecutive year bringing his son Jake from San Francisco, CA. 1^st day was terrific catching over 45 fish mostly nice size Northern Pike with Jake loosing a monster near the boat plus Jake landed 2 Trophy Smallmouth Bass at 18 & 18.5”. Also, Ron managed to catch 2-16 inch Smallmouth on a Chug Bug on one cast. 2^nd day had them catching 20+ Smallmouth 15-17.5” and three Muskie at

Jake Fishing BIG Muskie at Fireside Lodge

34, 35, & 37”. 3^rd day was absolutely fabulous as they caught 70-80

Trophy Smallmouth Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Ron

Northern Pike while seeing a Bull Moose with a rack partially shedding its velvet. 4^th day they did well on Smallmouth Bass each landing Trophy Smallmouth Bass over 18” plus Ron caught a BIG 39” Northern Pike. Next day was with focus on Muskie each catching one, Ron’s being the largest at 37.5”, plus they caught Pike

Show me the Musky Fishing by Ron At Fireside Lodge

Jake with a Trophy Smallmouth Bass

& each landed a trophy Smallmouth Bass. 6^th day Jake started with a nice Muskie then they caught a bunch of Pike & had follows from the biggest Muskie Ron ever saw. Last day was a good one catching 40+Pike & 20+ Smallies & Ron had Big Daddy or his brother hooked for a only a minute. Both left making a lifetime of memories & Ron intends on returning in 2016 with his wife Lisa.

Trophy Smallmouth Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Ron

Brothers Bob & John Zukas from Baltimore, MD returned for their 3^{rd

21-inch Trophy Smallmouth Bass by John Fishing} time. 1^st day they caught a total of 38 fish, 15 SB with the rest being Pike & John caught 2 Trophy Smallmouth at 18.5 & a GIANT 21”er. Unfortunately both had to depart the next day because of an unexpected situation. We very much appreciated them being here & have since been in communication with Bob & both made it home safely.

John with a 40-inch Tiger Muskie fishing at Fireside Lodge

Big Pike are Common Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Randy

Greg Benton, John McDonough, Randy Genord with his sons Dane &

First Pike Fly Fishing by Dane at Fireside Lodge

Ryan all from Grand Blanc, MI were back for their___ time. 1^st day they did well catching many good Pike while in pursuit of a Trophy Musky, & Dane caught his 1^st Northern Pike Fly-Fishing, a nice 29”er. 2^nd day was spent catching some Pike & Dane landed a nice 36” Musky on a Bull Dog. John & Greg’s day ended with and exciting double on


Great Musky catching by Ryan Fishing at Fireside Lodge

Ryan with a BIG Northern Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge

Northern Pike. 3^rd day while trying a method of targeting open water baitfish Greg caught a 38” Pike & John landed a 40” Tiger Musky plus all caught a bunch of Pike. 4^th day Randy, Dane & Ryan caught 12 Pike 30-35” & had 10 follows from big Muskie with John & Greg doing about the same however John saw a fish that Greg lost saying whatever it was it was huge.

Muskie Fishing is Fantastic by Greg

5^th & final day was another good day catching Pike & Ryan ended their trip with a nice 35” Musky on a new lure he bought from my tackle shop. When saying goodbye’s Greg said the countdown has started and is 359 days & counting until their 2017 trip.

Muskie Man Dane with a Nice Musky Fishing at Fireside Lodge

Tyler Tennant from Lakeway, TX returned for his 13^th trip along with

Nothing Like Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing

brother Warren, from Bellaire, TX for his 2^nd visit. After two days of searching for MR Big on the 3^rd day they had fun catching a bunch of Northern Pike & Smallmouth Bass. 4^th day these two caught a lot of fish being a mix of NP & SB again but could not hook up with the big fish that were following their lures. 5^th day was another good action day on Smallmouth Bass & Northern Pike up to the mid 30” range. 5^th day they had a ball catching Many Pike 28 to 35”, seeing some huge Muskie. Warren thought it odd spotting two logs under water laying parallel to each other when one started swimming away Warren realized one of the logs was a very large Muskie. Both left having a great time making some new entries to there fishing log for future reference.

Leon Musky Fishing in Closs Lake at Fireside Lodge

Trophy Fishing Smallmouth Bass by Andy

Long time return guest Leon Robbins was back with his group Andy Thomasson, Justine Sebastian, & Tyler Heath from Yadkinville, Cary, Mt Holly, & New London, NC. Early morning 1^st day Andy caught a huge 19.5” trophy Smallmouth. After breakfast they struggled until noon and then started to hit on Pike catching close to 30 per boat. 2^nd day they focused on Musky fishing doing great catching 5 as a group,

Great Tiger Musky catch by Justine Fishing at Fireside Lodge

Justine, along with landing 3 Muskie caught, a big 35” Pike & both Andy & Leon caught Trophy Smallmouth Bass . 3^rd day was all about concentrating on Muskie again & sticking with it proved worthy as they had only 2 hours out of 12 that were active, but caught 8 Muskie during that time. Leon was unstoppable as he landed 6 of the 8.

Tyler Fishing BIG Muskie at Fireside Lodge

4^th day Tyler started with a bang landing a HUGE 20” Smallmouth Bass in the morning while the rest of the day was filled with a lot of Northern Pike action. 5^th & final day they finished strong catching so many pike the lost count. All left having a great time and hope to return in 2016.

Great Trophy Smallmouth Bass by Mike Fishing at Fireside Lodge

The repeat family group of Mike & Dawn Baker Nakoosa, WI, Bill & Jane Pierce and Randy & Nancy Gentz Ellijay, GA, Terry & Jason Baker Oak Creek, WI & Adam Baker Cudahy, Wi were all very happy to be back which was evident from the laughter in the dinning room.

Fun Family Fishing at Fireside Lodge for Northern Pike by Nancy

1st day was loads of fun catching fish & Mike had a scary Muskie

Thumbs Up to Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing

follow saying it was at least 50”. Nancy won the Big fish of the day contest with her 33” fat Pike. 2^nd day they had a lot of Muskie follows, Nancy loosing a HUGE Musky in the netting process, Jason caught a Trophy 40” Northern Pike, Mike a Trophy 18.75” Smallmouth Bass, plus had some fast action on Pike & Smallmouth Bass after supper. 3^rd day was a great day number

Terry with a Trophy Smallmouth Bass

wise as a group catching about 60 fish, most being Pike, & Jason landed a trophy 19.5”Smallmouth Bass which put him in play for the trifecta. 4^th day before breakfast Jason caught his 2^nd 40” Pike in hunt for the trophy Muskie trying to be the 1^st to accomplish a trifecta Master Anglers Award for all 3 species. 5^th & final day was spectacular as a group catching well over 100 Northern Pike & a few Smallmouth Bass including an 18.5” for both Terry & Jason.

Giant Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Jason

All left having had a wonderful family fishing vacation & hope to do it all over again in 2017.

My First Muskie Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Billy

Friends Bill Winland & Gerry Kleinhenz from Massillon & Del Roy, OH

BIG Smallmouth Bass are a BLAST to catch Fishing at Fireside Lodge

were first time guests. 1^st day these two caught over 20+ Pike and 6 Smallmouth Bass with Gerry catching a Big Trophy size Smallmouth. 2^nd day they were in search of Muskie having some great Musky follows but could not hook up on one, however they did catch some nice Pike. Day 3 was great catching Pike in pursuit of a Musky & Billy found one. After a good fight & having it netted the fish thrashed and got out of the net leaving his lure behind. This was Billy’s 1^st Musky catch going about 36”. 4^th & final day was all about Musky again seeing lots of follows, some very big, & Billy ended up catching 2, largest being 35”. Both had a great time & Billy hopes to return with his wife in 2016.

First ever Muskie Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Bob

Back were David Henry & son Jacob St Charles, IL 4^th time, Bob Mezo Dixon, IL 3^rd time, & Tom Traveny Hershy, PA.

Fabulous Fun Fishing at Fireside Lodge for Tiger Muskie by Tim

2^nd time. DOA all had some Musky follows, caught Pike & SB & Tim set the BIG FISH bar by landing a 35” Muskie & Northern Pike. 1^st day was a “WOW Day” as a group landing 92 Northern Pike.

Love Northern Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Jacob

2^nd day they were in search for Muskie which was a success as Tim caught a big Tiger Muskie, Dave landing a 33” and Jacob caught 2 Musky. That’s 5 Muskie for this group in 2 days. 3^rd & final day had them catching 50+ Pike & Bob caught his 1^st ever Musky. All left having had a ball & are already planning a return trip.

Musky Fishing by David 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.

BIG Trophy Smallmouth Bass by Tim Fishing at Fireside Lodge

Hot Lures: Mepps, Blue Fox Spinner, X-Rap Deep Diver, Trophy Minnow, Yo-Zuri

Shore Lunch by Twin Falls Fishing Little Vermilion Lake at Fireside Lodge

Catches of The Week: Smallmouth Bass 21,20,18.75,2-18.5, Northern Pike 2-40”, Tiger Musky-40”, Over 40 Musky Caught

Fireside Lodge Sunset in 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

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Fireside Lodge Fishing Report 8/1 to 8/8 2015

Trophy Muskie Fishing By Jennie Heinl at Fireside Lodge

Weather this week was cold & rainy but our guests persevered through it & caught plenty of fish.

41-inch Musky Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Jennie Heinl

Mike & Jennie Heinl from Pittsburgh, PA returned for their 3^{rd

39" Muskie 4 Musky day Fishing by Jennie} consecutive year. DOA they went out & caught 16 Northern Pike by suppertime. 1^st full day they did great catching 37 Pike & each landed a 19” Trophy Smallmouth Bass. 2^nd day they caught 18 Northern Pike a few SB. 3^rd day had Mike having the hot hand landing 15 Pike himself including a 34.5”er. 4^th day was a dynamite Northern Pike day as they landed over 38 between 30-38” &

BIG Pike at Fireside Lodge Fishing by Mike

Jennie lost a brand new X-Rap after hooking into a monster fish that spooled a full reel of braided line. 5^th day was another good Pike fishing day catching 17 Northern Pike in the 28 to 32 inch class. 6^th day they had a fabulous day Muskie fishing Mike catching 1 with Jennie being hot catching 4 including a 39” & 41” Muskie. 7^th day was another BIG

Musky day as they hooked 5 lost 2 big Muskie & Jennie again caught

two, one at 40” & a huge 43” Muskie. 8^th & final day they caught 16

GREAT Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Jennie

Northern Pike & tried to soak up every minute before heading back to their busy lives in the city. They were sad to leave but very happy for the wonderful memories they made together in our fabulous wilderness setting.

BIG Northern Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Tom Born

BIG Northern Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Reed

Todd Cambron & Reed Thacker from Indianola, IA were back for their 2^nd year in a row. 1^st day was the best they ever had fishing catching so many Northern Pike they could not even guess haw many so we just left it at that. 2^nd day they had the best Big fish experience of their lives. Reed hooked a HUGE GIANT Muskie and after a long fight & three attempts at netting this monster it slipped out of the net leaving the

Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing by Todd

hook behind. 3^rd & final day they fished for Smallmouth Bass & Pike all day catching some quality fish including 6 over 18” Trophies plus well over 50 Northern. Both had a blast saying we would see them again.

Pike Fishing is a Blast at Fireside Lodge by Ed

HUGE Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing at Fireside Lodge

3^rd year return guest David Lilja from Woodbury, MN was back with Donald Heywood from Mound, MN for his 1^st visit. By the end of the first day these two caught plenty of Pike & David also caught an 18” trophy Smallmouth Bass & a 36” Muskie. 2^nd day they did it again catching over 30 Northern Pike. 3^rd day was a day of catching both Smallmouth Bass & Pike saying that they caught their fair share. 4^th & final day was another numbers day on Northern Pike catching well over 30 & Ed said they were all bigger Pike. Both had a great stay & departed telling other guests they would see them next year.

Northern Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Larry

4^th year return guests Ed & JoAnn Piotrowski from Hampshire, IL

19.5" Trophy Smallmouth by JoAnn Fishing at Fireside Lodge

were back with Larry Starzec from Hainesville, Il for his 2^nd visit. 1^st day was hampered by a cold front & rain. 2^nd day they caught over 20 Smallmouth Bass & 5 Northern Pike. 3^rd day was great catching both Northern Pike &

Trophy Smallmouth Bass are Plentiful at Fireside Lodge by Ed

Smallmouth Bass with JoAnn cashing in on the BIG fish of the day landing a HUGE 19” Trophy Smallmouth. 4^th day was a fabulous day Smallmouth Bass fishing as they caught 28 before supper several 17-17.5” an 18 & 18.5” & 19” plus two 30”+ Pike. 5^th day was another fun Smallmouth day despite the wind & JoAnn caught another 18” Trophy. All left with Master Anglers Patches in hand having had a wonderful stay with us at Fireside Lodge.

Brothers Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Ryne & Braden

Bill Westbrook from New Philadelphia, OH was back for his 13^{th

Jill with Her Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing at Fireside Lodge} consecutive year with his wife Jill. 1^st day they met post cold front conditions with cold rain a wind which made the Smallmouth fishing difficult catching only a few. 2^nd day was great for Bill as he caught a 30” Tiger Musky, 6 Pike up to 35”, & 12 good size

Huge Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Bill

Smallmouth Bass including an 18” trophy. 3rd day was a “GREAT” Smallmouth Bass catching day landing over 25 with 75% being over 16” & Jill caught 3 Trophies 18-18.5” with Bill catching 4 Trophy Bass between 18-19.5”. 4^th day was windy & cool driving Jill in at noon after catching some Smallmouth Bass. Then, while Bill was fishing alone he hooked into a nice 35” Muskie and had a interesting time landing it himself, taking the only picture possible, in the net. 5^th & final day was a cool rainy day, Bill fishing most of it alone, catching another 18” Smallmouth Bass and a 34” Northern Pike were his highlights of the day. Both left with Big smiles on their faces having a wonderful stay & already discussing & planning for 2016.

Jack's Nice Muskie Fishing at Fireside Lodge

Bob & Carol Beaumel from Buda, TX returned for their 2^nd visit with

Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing by Carol at Fireside Lodge

us at Fireside Lodge. 1^st day Bob fishing alone caught 4 Pike & 8 SB up to 17”. 2^nd day fishing by himself again he caught well over 20 Smallmouth plus caught the largest fish of his life a 41.5” Muskie. After a hard fight he managed to land this monster himself, releasing it without a

Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing by Bob

picture but a long lasting memory. 3^rd day was their best day ever catching 36 Northern Pike & 10 Smallies. 4^th was a quality day, catching several Smallmouth Bass 16 to 17.5” & Carol caught a Trophy 18”er & also her 1^st ever Musky at 31”. 5^th day Bob braved it alone on a windy, rainy, cold day catching few fish. 6^th & final day weather improved & Carol & Bob made a day of it having a 1^st time adventure of breaking up a Beaver Dam. You could feel their excitement as they described their experience. They also caught 23 Northern Pike & Bob landed a trophy 18” Smallmouth Bass. Both said they had a wonderful time & talked about bringing Bob’s younger brother next time.

Brad Sammons with a Great Muskie Catch Fishing at Fireside Lodge

Mike having Fun Pike Fishing at Fireside Lodge

Mike Stevens from Lake Barrington, IL returned for his 3^rd visit with his group of Jack Schneider, James Barrington, Paul Douglas from Huntley, Wheeling, & Hoffman Estates, IL with Bob Lauffer & Johnny Sills from Clermont & Orlando, FL. 1^st day Mike caught a nice Tiger Muskie & with Jim caught over 20 Smallmouth Bass & 2-30”+ Pike. Bob & Johnny also caught a lot of Smallmouth Bass & a few Pike. 2^nd day all didgreat

catching some big pike over 30” lots of Smallmouth including three trophies, Jack catching an 18.5” while Bob caught two 1 at 19” and the other hitting the 20” mark.

Trophy Master Anglers Award Smallmouth Bass Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Jim

3^rd day was their best day ever with Bob & Johnnie alone catching

Mike with a Trophy Smallie Fishing at Fireside Lodge

over 60 fish mostly Pike, with Bob landing another Trophy Smallmouth as did Mike. As a group they caught over 160 Northern Pike. 4^th & final day Bob & Mike caught over 70 Northern Pike while Jack & Johnny were right there with them catching slightly less, and Mike came up with a Trophy 18” Smallmouth Bass. Jim & Paul did well on Smallmouth Bass with Jim also landing an 18” Trophy. All left saying they had a GREAT trip & are looking forward to their return.

HUGE Trophy Tiger Musky Fishing by Braden at Fireside Lodge

Great Release of Braden's Trophy Tiger Muskie

Long time repeat guest Brad Sammons from was back with his two

Great Tiger Muskie Fishing by Ryne at Fireside Lodge

sons. Day 1 & 2 they caught Smallmouth Bass along with Pike while searching for Mr Big. 3^rd day was the jack pot as Ryne caught a fat 31” Tiger Muskie & brother Braden landed a HUGE Trophy 44” Tiger Muskie. They both took great pictures while sporting their newly purchased Fireside Lodge sweatshirts making

Super Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing at Fireside Lodge by Brad

themselves definite contenders for our 2016 brochure. The next two days they killed the Smallmouth Bass on Top-water Poppers catching Trophy Smallmouth, Ryne landing 3, Braden 4 & dad caught 2 ranging from 18 to 19.5”. That’s great Smallmouth Bass fishing. 5^th & final day the

Trophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing by Braden at Fireside Lodge

trifecta was in play as Braden would need a Trophy 40”+ Pike to accomplish what no other Fireside Lodge guest has done, catching a Master Anglers Award Trophy fish for Northern Pike, Muskie, & Smallmouth Bass in a single trip. Well it was not meant to be however they all went home catching trophy Smallmouth Bass along with many others in the 17-17.5” range and Brad finished the trip with a nice 36” Muskie having made a lifetime of memories with his boys.

20-inchTrophy Smallmouth Bass Fishing by Tom Born at Fireside Lodge

1st ever Pike by Virginia Fishing at Fireside Lodge

Long time return guests Tom & Jen Born from Lakeville, MN were back with Jen’s sister & her husband Virginia & Brian Davis from Marion, IL for their 1^st visit. 1st day had both Brian & Virginia catching their 1^st pike plus many more as a group caught somewhere around 40 Pike. Second day Brian caught his 1^st Smallmouth Bass ever plus his 1^st ever Muskie, and a nice one at that measuring a healthy 36”.