Fireside Lodge Fishing News Report 8/17 to 8/24 2002

Fireside Lodge Fishing News Report 8/17 to 8/24 2002

Hello to all who are taking time to read what Fireside Lodge is all about, and the opportunity which is available to anyone who enjoys an outdoor fishing adventure. I will start this weeks report with a couple of guests, Warren and Tyler Tennant, from Houston and Leauge City, Texas, who were not only at Fireside Lodge for their first time, but this was the first time either had made a fishing trip like this before. Well their first day ever doing something like this, they did very good catching 9 Northern Pike and 6 Smallmouth Bass. This was after we had a major cold front, which usually gives the best of anglers problems. These two continued to do well each and every day catching some good size Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass, and their highlight day was they caught 40 Northern Pike, with most in the 26 to 33 inch range, and the largest Pike was 37.5 inches. Also Tyler went home a Northwest Ontario Master Angler catching a 18.5 inch Smallmouth. Great first fishing adventure for these two brothers.
Larry and Beth Branstetter, from Baxter, Tn. were also on their first trip to Fireside Lodge. Here for a shorter 3 day stay they were fairly new to this type of fishing, as Beth had never caught a Northern Pike. Well Beth solved this on the first day by catching her first Pike ever, and Larry also caught some Pike and had several in the 30" to 34" range. On their second day Larry met a goal catching his first Muskie ever, which is also a great accomplishment. Their last two days they did well catching fish, both Northern Pike and Smallmouth, Larry landing a Northwest Ontario Master Anglers Award Smallmouth at 18.5 inches, and left saying they had a great stay, and enjoyed themselves thoroughly. Both Larry and Beth work hard long hours during their day to day life, and fishing is their relaxation and outlet. Great that they enjoy this great activity together, and most important, take the time and effort to do it. Hope to see you two again.
Return guests Bernie Duchinsky and Bill Bartley, both from Springfield, Mo. were very anxious to get out on the water on their day of arrival. So anxious Bill left his truck in the middle of the road, forgetting to move it before leaving the dock. No harm done, and it is wonderful to see this excitement in people when arriving. Well their enthusiasm and positive attitude paid off, as on their first full day of fishing they caught over 40 Smallmouth Bass, with a lot in the 14 to 16 inch range. On the second day they targeted Northern Pike and caught 16 nice size Pike, between 28" to 35", and several Smallmouth. On their third day they went to a special lake and caught a bunch of Pike, and 14 walleye, all between 19" and 22". Their last two days they caught some nice Northern and Smallmouth, and finished off the trip well. The only thing we don't know is who was the winner of the pool competition?
Steve Wagner, from Chicago, IL., was back at Fireside Lodge with friend Gene Friedman, from Middletown, Wi., for their second year in a row. These two had a great time last year, and repeated again this year. Both just enjoy fishing and doing it somewhere with solitude in a wilderness environment, and that's what Fireside Lodge and our lake system is all about. Both caught some good fish, both Northern Pike and Smallmouth, while they were here, and Steve went home a Northwest Ontario Master Angler, catching a 18 inch Smallmouth Bass. Great going Steve. Both also caught some great moments and made some great memories between friends. Thanks for coming back and hope to see in the future.
Brian Steinmetz and Curt Eshbach, also good friends from Lancaster, Pa., were back to Fireside Lodge for their second time. Well these two did great last time with a 7" white twister tail painted with an red design. When they found out this was no longer available, guess what they were doing before their trip. Yes, buying plain white twister tails and hand painting them. Anglers will do anything for the cause, won't they? The results were great as they caught a lot of Northern Pike and Muskie during their weeks stay, and really finished strong, as 2 days before leaving they caught 20 Pike, a few Muskie, and lost as many as they caught, and on their last day caught over 30, all bigger close to the mid 30 inch range. Great finish and loads of fun for these two. Thanks for the return trip.
Honeymoon couple and newly weds Jeff and Kelsie Endresen, from Saint Peter, Mn., were at Fireside lodge for their first visit, and all of us at Fireside lodge felt privileged to have Jeff and Kelsie pick Fireside Lodge for such an important time in their lives. The fishing for them was secondary, and the seclusion, wilderness, and picture perfect atmosphere is what they concentrated on. However being from Minnesota, you know they like to fish, and when they did, they did well. One day they landed 13 Northern Pike with some other action, and throughout their 4 day stay they caught some Smallmouth, and had a lot of Muskie and Northern Pike follows, and landed a few. The most important part of this trip was that they both arrived happy and full of excitement, and left the same way saying they had a wonderful memorable time, and said they would be back in a few years. I also wanted to mention what a nice considerate couple Jeff and Kelsie are, and we really enjoyed having them here for their start in life as a married couple. From all of us at Fireside Lodge we wish Jeff and Kelsie a wonderful and prosperous life together.
Rob DeLamatre, from Sandusky, Oh., and friend / fishing buddy Al Fishhaber, from Northwood, Oh., were back to Fireside Lodge for their 3rd time. They did great catching a lot of Northern Pike and some Muskie. They seemed to do well just about every day, however two days stood above the rest. One of these days they caught a whole bunch of Pike during the day, and along with that had a lot of follows, and some lost fish. That same evening they went out after supper and caught 11 Pike, several Muskie, and Al caught an over 40 inch Muskie. What a great day!!!!! Another day they caught a combination of 28 Northern Pike and Muskie, all but 4 were between 30" to 39", with Al catching a 38" and 39" Muskie, and also a 36" Pike, and Rob's biggest was a 34" Northern Pike. What a great day to remember for a lifetime, which I am sure both Rob and Al will. It was also great to sit around a talk with these two, as they like to have fun and laugh. Thanks for coming back, and hope to see you again soon.
Tom Bressler and his daughter Ashton, from Hollywood, MD., came with Toms parents Clair and Jean, from New Holland, Pa. for their first trip ever to Fireside Lodge. They came here to fish for Northern Pike and Muskie, and were mostly interested in Muskie. Well the first two days gave them a good picture of what Muskie fishing is about sometimes, as they located fish, but produced a lot of follows with no Muskie landed. That is part of the Muskie fishing game, that we all get use to after fishing for them for a while. After having a number of big Muskie follows on their second day, the third day brought results, with father Clair catching his first and second Muskie ever, the first being a 27 inch, and the second a BIG 37 " Muskie. Great excitement for Clair, and the whole family. Well like father like son, as the very next day Tom, while fishing with daughter Ashton, also caught his 1st and 2nd Muskie ever, and by Ashton's excitement at the tackle shop that evening it was hard to tell who caught the fish, Tom or Ashton. Ashton had a terrific personality, and was a refreshing young person who always seemed excited and happy. The person I have not talked about yet was Jean, for this was her first time fishing. She did terrific all week learning, and having fun with this new activity, and guess who caught the biggest fish for the week on their last day. You probably guessed, Jean did with a great catch of a BIG 38 inch Northern Pike. This put the icing on the cake for a wonderful family fishing vacation for the Bressler family, and thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge to spend this valued time together.
James and Mary Sullivan, from Dubuque, Ia., were at Fireside Lodge for their first time ever for a short 3 day stay. They had a great time enjoying the great wilderness we have to offer, and having fun fishing. For Mary, who is not comfortable being around water, this was a challenge, but she did very well fishing with Jim 2 out of the 3 days, and catching a few fish. Jim was on the water more, going out in the evening by himself, and he caught plenty of fish during his stay. They left saying they had a great time, and Jim said he will be back again.
James Militello, son Jim, from Crystal Lake, IL., and other son Mike from Fort Collins, Co., were at Fireside Lodge to fish for Muskie and Northern Pike. They were here for 4 days and caught a lot of fish, and they caught a number of Bigger Pike and Muskie during their stay. Along with their catches they had numerous follows, and every day visited the tackle shop trying to convert those huge follows into a picture of a catch. They did catch some of those bigger fish, and some left them wanting to come back for more. Thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge for your father and sons reunion, and looking forward to your return visit.
Michael Rebarber, from Glen Rock, NJ., and fishing friend Chuck Gardner, from Flanders, NJ., were at Fireside Lodge for their first time. These two had fun every day, and with their positive attitude, did well for the first time ever on our lake system. They caught some nice Smallmouth and Pike during their stay, and Chuck was full of excitement one evening before supper telling me his story of loosing the Smallmouth Bass of his life. To express the time they had I will quote from an email Mike sent to me shortly after their stay, which says it all.
"Dear Al, Just want to say what a great time we had at your lodge. You have a top notch staff! Chuck and I enjoyed our stay while too short it was great. Looking forward to coming next year. Keep me posted with your e mails. Have a good winter.
Best Wishes,
Mike Rebarber
Thanks Mike, and looking forward to seeing you again in 2003.
Ken Jaeger, and friends Ed Impens and Jim Hipp, all from Burlington, Wi., were at Fireside Lodge also for their first time. Here for a short three day stay they did well catching a good number of Smallmouth and Northern Pike. This group went away with one of the members, Ken, catching the fish of his lifetime, when one evening after supper they went out for a short fish, and he hooked into and landed a Northwest Ontario Master Anglers Award Muskie measuring out at just over 44 inches. Your could see the excitement in Ken's face, and friends Ed and Jim were also very excited for Ken. We have had countless incidences at Fireside Lodge of guests having the same experiences, either catching the fish of their lifetime, or having the fishing day of their life. Besides attributing this to the fishing skills of our anglers at Fireside Lodge, I think a big reason for this is the catch and release regulations. As years have gone by we have seen nothing but improvement in daily catches, and the consistently increasing catch of large, and Northwest Ontario Master Anglers fish. Remember, Catch and Release is the future of fishing, and the future of fishing is in every fisher persons hands.
Thanks for reading our fishing report this week, and please tune in for next weeks report. Until then "Keep On Fish'n" Alan