Fireside Lodge Fishing News Report 8/3 to 8/10 2002

Fireside Lodge Fishing News Report 8/3 to 8/10 2002

Hello from Fireside Lodge in beautiful Northwest Ontario. This week was a continuation of the beautiful summer weather we have consistently had for about 6 weeks in a row. This also marks the beginning of the end of summer for us, as in August the nights will start getting cooler, even though our days will be pleasantly warm. This week was leading us into the new moon phase, and coupled with our first cool down in 6 weeks, led to some fantastic fishing, and catching of BIG fish. This week we awarded our guests with 27 Master Anglers Awards covering all fish divisions, and had a lot of fish very close to the qualifying size, just missing the award.
A group of 6, friends and family Paul Poblocki, Bret Bariczak, Mark Merz, all from Wauwatosa, Wi, and Norman Mertz, from Nashotah, Wi., Pat McEniry, from Minneapolis, Mn., and Paul Fallucco, from Atlanta, Ga., were here to fish, but also to enjoy each other company as friends, and family. They accomplished both very well, and on their very first day Paul had a 50" Muskie at boat side but could not get it to take his bait. On their 2nd day this group caught a bunch of nice Pike up to 36 inches, third day Paul and Bret portaged to a lake and caught over 20 Northern Pike on fly rods, what a ball. Several other examples are, one boat with two people catching over 50 Smallmouth Bass, another boat one day found over 30 Muskie, only getting follows but no hook ups.. This group had a lot of large follows in the 45 to 50 inch range, but could not land one of these monsters. The highlight catches were, Northwest Ontario Master Anglers Award winners Paul Poblocki catching a 40 inch Northern Pike and two Smallmouth one 18.5" and one 19", and Bret Barczak and Pat McEniry, both catching 18 inch Smallmouth.
Father and son Al and Chris Pravecek, from Vermillion, SD., and Park Ridge , IL., were at Fireside Lodge for their first time for a short 3 day stay. These two were use to going on fly in outpost camps, and really got to enjoy the great wilderness we have to offer, without having to do anything but fish. That these two did, as they were always out there fishing. Being that they were never on the lake before, they started slow on their first day, but things picked up their 2nd and last day catching some nice size Pike. It seemed they were just getting familiar, and had to leave, but at least they took the time they had and enjoyed catching some fish together and made another year of memories as father and son.
Russell Orliwitz,, from Bailey, Co., was referred to Fireside Lodge by a friend, and long time guest Chuck Avrey, from Beyers Co. Russell brought his sons Kevin and Tim, and father / grandpa Bill, from Lockeford, Ca. They made their reservation over a year in advance so it was well planned, and all were very excited about being here. Well they did great catching Muskie, Northern Pike, and Smallmouth. One day while portaging to fish for Muskie Russell had each boy a half a day and Grandpa the other a half day. Russell took the boys Muskie fishing and they had a lot of follows with Russell landing his first ever, a healthy 35.5 incher. The boys while with Grandpa together caught over 60 Smallmouth, Tim landing a 16.5 incher, and Kevin a 17.5 inch Smallie. Another day while all four caught over 55 Smallmouth, Kevin caught his first Muskie, a 44.5 inch Master Anglers Award Muskie. Wow, what two great catches for young boys. Another day while catching a bunch of Pike Kevin did it again catching a huge 40" Tiger Muskie, first ever and of course biggest. Tim caught his biggest Pike ever at 36.5 inches, Russell caught his biggest Pike ever at 38 inches, and Grandpa caught his biggest Pike ever at 34.5 inches. A lot of firsts for this family. On this same day they also caught over 40 Smallmouth, with 8 being over 16.5 inches. What a great day. Their last day they caught 15 Pike and 8 Smallmouth, with Russell getting a Master Anglers Award Northern at 40.5 inches, and Bill toping his best catch (the second time this week) landing a 37.5 inch Pike. Also amongst all the Smallmouth caught, Russell and Bill caught Master Anglers Smallmouth at 19.25" and 18.25 inches. Great fishing had by this family and great catching, and most of all wonderful memories by three generations.
Ken, Gloria, and son David Turner, from Plainview, NY., were fexible and adventurous enough to drive to Fireside Lodge for their first visit. Well they had a wonderful time exploring, and fishing our lake system. They did well catching Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass, having some days catching good size fish. Fishing was the reason this family took this vacation, but far from the only reason. Family times and making vacation memories was the primary reason, and that they definitely accomplished. Thanks for coming all that way, and hope to see all again.
William Baird, from Wooster, Oh., and son in law Mark Smiles, from Columbus, Oh., were back at Fireside Lodge after missing one year. Bill, being his 5th trip, has gotten very familiar with our lake system, and as a result did very well catching. One day catching 34 Smallmouth, and 2 Pike not even trying, another day they caught over 25 Smallies, and on a day they targeted Northern Pike they landed 19, with a lot of other action. For their short 4 day stay they did a lot of fishing, relaxing, and reading in the lodge at night. A favorite thought Audrey and I always have of Bill, is when he use to come with brother Bob, and they would always be up after everyone retired, with a small light, reading in the wonderful silence of our great old lodge. Great thoughts, and memories, come to those who make the time and effort to create them, and Bill has certainly done that. Hats of to you Bill.
Another memory maker is Dave Moon, from St Peters, Mo., here for the fifth or sixth time, and I believe the third time with his son Matt. They have become quite the fishing partners, and Matt has a lot of great fishing experiences, do to his fathers efforts. These two normally come in June, so this time of year was new to them. Fish are caught in different places and with different methods at this time of year, but Dave is very adaptable, and always willing to take advise, so they did very well. They had some wonderful Smallmouth days, with Dave catching two Northwest Ontario Master Anglers Award Smallmouth, one 18.5 inch and a huge 19 inch, and Matt landed 3 Master Angler Award Smallmouth, one at 18.5 inches and two at 18". They also caught some nice size Pike in the 30 inch to mid 30" range, one day landing 14, with a lot of other action. Very good trip for these two, and we will see them again as Dave has already secured a reservation for 2003, with even more family and friends.
Father and sons Craig, Darren, and Kirk Martell, from Sandusky, Ohio, were at Fireside Lodge for their second trip in three years to chase large toothy critters. Well they did great catching about 60 toothy critters 28 to 42 inches, Craig catching a 42 inch Muskie, Darren landing a Northwest Ontario Master Anglers Award Northern Pike at 40 inches, and Kirk Lost a 42-44 inch Tiger Muskie after it jumped. Some other highlights were having 30+ follows of 32 to 44 inches, seeing a 44"+ Pike, and having several, 4 to be exact, Muskie follows of 50 inches plus. These three were thrilled with their fishing, as they should be, and plan to come back to catch those 50 inchers. All had fun and made great memories. Just a side story, one day while fishing Kirk had to go to the hospital to have a hook removed because of a mishap with a fish, so from that day forward they decided to go barbless, after considering doing this earlier in the week. Well the results were good having no more losses of fish than before. This is something all of us should consider, and if not for the fish, maybe for yourself.
Jim Regan, from Palos Heights, IL., and 11 year old son Jimmy, were at Fireside Lodge for their first time, and for only two days. Well the day of arrival and thier first day morning they had some heavy rain, so they were trying to find their way around on a new lake in difficult conditions. Well despite the conditions they did well on their first morning with both catching some Pike, and Jimmy loosing a BIG fish on a lure he just bought from me that morning. Well they came back in to re-supply, and by the evening at supper Jimmy caught a Northwest Onatrio Master Anglers Award Northern Pike measuring out at 40 inches. WOW, what an accomplishment Jimmy. The following day they had, as described by father Jim, had a fabulous day landing 15 more good size Pike, having a lot of other action, in lost fish and follows, and Jimmy did it again catching a big Northern Pike, this time measuring 37 inches. Remember Jimmy is 11 years old, and he caught in two days, a 40" and 37 inch Pike. Congratulations Jimmy, and hats of to father Jim for making all this fun and memorable moments possible for him and his son. Thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge to make this happen.
Family Stu, Mary, and 9 year old Michael, from Indianapolis, In. came to Fireside Lodge for their first time ever, and had a wonderful family fishing vacation. First day ever on our lake system this family caught over 50 Smallmouth Bass, with a lot in the 15 to 16 inch range, and a few caught 17 to 17.75 inches. That's great Smallie fishing. Stu also saw what he said was about a 50 inch Muskie, which followed his lure, and when it turned away slapped it's tail on the boat. That will get your attention. The next day Stu did catch his first Muskie ever, a nice heavy 35.5 incher, and an exciting catch it was as it slammed his top water Zara Spook. Their third day they caught over 20 Smallmouth and over 15 Northern Pike, with Mary catching a Northwest Ontario Master Anglers Award Smallmouth at 18". On their 4th day it was Michael's day as he caught 22 fish himself, and Mary and Stu did well also. Way to go Michael. On their last day they caught a lot of Smallmouth, and Stu caught his second Muskie a big 38 incher, and it also took his Zara Spook. After attacking his Spook the fish came out of the water and seemed to tail walk and splash water forever. What an exciting catch. Thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge to spend your valued family vacation time, and hope to see you all soon.
Larry and Ron Nelson, from East Troy, and Greendale, Wi., were also on their first fishing adventure at Fireside Lodge. What a great fishing trip these two had. So good they wanted to add a 5th day on to their short 4 day stay. Their first day was very exciting catching many Smallmouth, and Larry caught three, yes three, Master Anglers Award Smallmouth. 18", 18.25", and 18.75" Smallmouth, and they caught a lot 16 to 17.5 inches. Also they caught a 36 inch Muskie, lost several larger ones at the boat, and missed a huge Pike right at the boat. WOW!!!!!!!!! what a great first day ever on our lake system. Another day they caught a lot of Smallmouth, again with most in the 15 to 17 inch range, and Larry caught his 4th and 5th Master Anglers Award Smallmouth, another 18.25" and a GIANT 19.75 inch Smallmouth that looked like it was bursting at the seams. The last day before supper they stopped by my tackle shop and told me "we just had our best day Muskie fishing ever in our life". Remember these two are from Wisconsin and fish for Muskie a lot. They had numerous follows of very large Muskie, and Ron had the fish of his life on, well over 50 inches, and up to the boat several times, and it got knocked off while trying to net. Ron had another fish on in the same size class, and after a long battle, Ron lost. They also caught a lot of bigger Smallmouth, and will never forget the big Muskie Ron did battle with. Great father and son fishing memories.
Dennis Toll, from Hayward, Wi., and friend Chuck Romano, from Des Plaines, IL., were at Fireside Lodge to fish for Northern Pike and Muskie. Dennis being 16 years familiar with the waters had no problem getting back into the swing of fishing our lake system, after being away from it since 1992. These two caught a lot of nice Pike and Muskie, and had a shot at a few 50 inchers, + or - a few inches, but could not land them. They had a great week with us, and Chuck wrote me a letter already telling me they had a wonderful time and intend on returning next year.
Gary Haines, brother Gordon, from Louisville, Ky., were back to Fireside for their second time in as many years, and this time brought friend Danny Cox, who had never done anything like this before. These three had, as quoted by Gary and Gordon, " We had a fishing trip we always dreamed about". On their day of arrival in just about 3 hours of fishing they caught 22 Northern Pike, several Smallmouth, and Gordon caught a big Pike at 39.5 inches, just missing the Master Anglers Award by half an inch. The next day they went to Cedarbough Lake and Gordon had the hot hand catching his 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Muskie ever, all in the same day, between 27-36 inches. Their 2nd full day of fishing they all caught a bunch of big Smallmouth, with Gordon, again catching the biggest of the day, a 18.5 inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth. On the 3rd day they had a decent day catching some Pike, came in for some supper, and went back out fishing. Well in three hours that evening they caught some very big fish, a 34" and 35" Muskie, two 36" Pike, one 37" Pike, and YES Gordon caught a Master Anglers Award Northern Pike right at 40 inches. The very next morning these three, in only three hours, caught Pike at 35", 36" 38", and three, yes three 42 inch Northwest Ontario Master Anglers Award Northern Pike. Gary caught two and Danny caught one. This was done in just three hours of fishing. Gordon's quote in excitement was "I now know for sure to believe what I read in your weekly fishing reports Alan". These three had a fishing trip of their life, and congratulations to all three.
Father and Son Thomas Sr and Tom Weyburn, from Lombard, IL., and Iowa City, Ia., were on their first trip to Fireside Lodge. They were here for a short four day stay, and they made time of it fishing and catching up as father and son. The catching of fish was pretty good also, with them having a very good day catching Northern Pike in the 30" to 35 inch range, and having a lot of action. Another day they said they had great Smallmouth fishing catching a lot of Smallies up to 17.5 inches, and a lot in the 15 to 16 inch range. Also they thoroughly enjoyed the wilderness atmosphere while fishing, and loved the lodge setting. Great getting to know you both, and hope to see you back one day.
Paul Held and Steve Sandler, from Richmond Hill & North York, Ontario were back at Fireside Lodge for their second fishing adventure. Well both are very excitable, and always on the go fishing. Their second day here they had a fabulous day catching over 30 Northern Pike. The next day they also had a great day Pike fishing, and caught a few Smallmouth. Steve stole the show on this day catching most of the Pike in the 28 to 33 inch range, but we decided to give Paul the Master Angler "Cradler" Award, for netting all of Steve's fish. Again the very next day they caught some more great Northern Pike between 30" to 36", and Steve caught the 36 inch Pike, which to date is the biggest of his fishing career. Just a side story, one day after dinner I was on the dock while Paul and Steve were in their boat getting ready to go fishing. Steve asked me how to work a #18 floating Rapala, so after describing how I would use it, we decided that I should give a demo. On my second cast, while showing them how to twitch the bait, as I am twitching it Steve said "I would die if you would catch a fish", and just at the end of his word fish their was a Pike attacking the Rapala on the surface splashing and jumping right out of the water. Well what a demo, and what great timing. On their last day fishing they left with a very good day catching over 15 nice size Northern Pike 28 to 33 inches, Steve lost a BIG fish while having the best fight he ever had fishing, and Paul also lost the biggest Smallmouth he ever hooked, as he saw it jump out of the water in front of him, and then throw the hook.
Exciting fishing action, fun, and memories, were had by these two and many others this week at Fireside Lodge. Until next week "Keep On Fish'n". Alan