Fireside Lodge Fishing News Report 8/18 to 8/25 2007

Fireside Lodge Fishing News Report 8/18 to 8/25 2007

Hello from Fireside Lodge in Northwest Ontario, Canada. It was a beautiful week with a little rain and temperatures in the hi 60’s to low 70’s most of the time.

Back for his second time was Tyler Tennant from League City, Texas and with him was first time guest, father-in law, Peter Higman from Libertyville, IL. First day was very windy with two storms, but it did not faze Tyler and Peter as they had a lot of action and landed well over 20 Northern Pike. Second day was a very good day with Tyler landing two Muskie at 29 and 33 inches, and they caught Northern Pike with Peter’s best being a fat 33 inches. Third day Tyler and Peter caught Smallmouth and Northern Pike with Tyler catching a 29, 30, and 33 inch Pike and Peter caught a Musky. Fourth day was great Musky fishing as they had many follows, and Tyler landed three Muskie measuring 29, 31, and 33 inches. Very exciting day for both, and the smiles on their faces showed all. Fifth and final day they finished with a bang catching 35 plus Northern Pike, had four doubles, and on one of these doubles as they each were fighting their fish, each Northern Pike jumped at the same time and both completely cleared the water. They were very excited when checking out, and both said they would return to Fireside Lodge for a future fishing trip. !!!!!!!!

Back for their fifth consecutive year were father and son Bill and Mark Westbrook from New Philadelphia, OH. First day fishing despite windy, rainy conditions these two caught 35 Smallmouth Bass and Mark caught three 30-inch Northern Pike. Mark’s comment was that he kicked his dad’s behinder. Second day was very windy, and they still managed to catch about 20 Smallmouth Bass with a couple in the 17-inch range. Third day was fabulous fishing as they landed 71 Smallmouth Bass, many being 14 to 17 inches, Mark caught three over 17 inches, and Bill caught a Master Anglers Award Smallmouth at 18.5-inches. Mark caught a 34 inch Northern Pike and Bill caught a 30–inch Muskie to top the day off. Fourth day these two had a ball catching 51 Smallmouth with most being 13 to 16 inches, and Bill caught the largest at 17.5-inches. Fifth and final day was fabulous as they caught 42 Smallmouth Bass, Mark catching a 18 inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth, four over 17 inches, Bill caught two over 17 inches, and the rest were 14 to 16.5 inches. They also caught two 34 inch and one 35 inch Northern Pike, and Mark caught his first Muskie measuring 31 inches. Bill and Mark had another great fishing trip at Fireside Lodge, and logged many more fishing memories which are far more important than any fish caught during their stay. Thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge to make your fishing memories. !!!!!!

First time guest were Fred and Donna Dee from Iowa City, IA. and daughter Jennifer Dick from Paris, France. Jennifer is our first guest from the country of France. First evening of arrival Fred and Jennifer caught Smallmouth, some 14 to 17 inches and several Northern Pike. First full day they did great catching a lot of Smallmouth Bass, many larger 14 to 17.5 inches and Fred cam up with a Master Anglers Award Smallmouth measuring 18.5-inches. Second day they caught 1 Northern Pike, had one HUGE follow, and then went to a reef and caught a bunch of Smallmouth Bass. Third day had them catching a bunch of Northern Pike in the morning, and both lost BIG toothy critters after the fish ran through the weeds creating slack line and getting off. In the afternoon, after having a great shore lunch, Fred and Jennifer fished for and caught a lot of Smallmouth Bass Fred catching another Master Anglers Award Smallie measuring 18.5 inches. Fourth day was fabulous as the Northern Pike started biting about noon time and Fred and Jennifer caught some nice Northern Pike, Jennifer landing her biggest yet, a robust 28-inch Pike and Fred caught a HUGE Heavy 39 inch Northern Pike. This made for fun viewing on our fish slide show in the lodge. As for Donna, who does not fish much, she has been making great progress on the new Harry Potter book, as can be seen in the photo of Fred holding his 18.5-inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth. Their fifth and final day was full of Northern Pike action with Fred and Jen catching many, but had trouble landing the big Pike. They lost several to the weeds, but had an absolute ball doing so. Fred and Jen also caught may Smallmouth Bass between 12 to 16.5 inches and several over 17 inches. All had a wonderful reunion at Fireside Lodge, and had laughs, told stories, reminisced, and made a whole new set of memories together, and we are glad they choose Fireside Lodge to spend this special time together. !!!!!!!

Ron Conroy and Harry Saunders from Kennesaw, GA were fishing at Fireside Lodge for their first time. First day was spent getting to know the lake and catching a few fish. Second day they started to figure things out and caught some nice Northern Pike. Third day they caught a mix of Northern Pike and a few Smallmouth. The fourth and final day they had a blast portaging to a lake and caught plenty of Smallmouth Bass, and Harry landed his first ever Muskie. And a nice catch at that measuring a chunky 30 inches. Both had a great and fun experience and intend on returning to Fireside Lodge in the near future. Thanks for choosing us for your first Canadian Fishing Adventure. !!!!!!!!!

First time guests from Romania, yes that is correct Romania, were Alin and Lucien Dociu, Constantin Vasile, and Rosca Valeriu. We are very excited to greet all of our guests, however never having guests from Romania before there was a little more buzz around Fireside Lodge than normal. The other far away countries that Fireside Lodge guests have come from are Mexico, England, Germany, and Japan. First day this group found their way around and caught a few Northern Pike. Second day they had Northern Pike action, landing 20 plus, and Lucien led the group in numbers and size. Their third and final day was very good as they caught over 60 Northern Pike. They had a fun time and enjoyed the different fishing atmosphere Canada has to offer from their home country in Romania. We felt privileged these fellows traveled so far to fish at Fireside Lodge, and hope our new Romanian friends will return to Fireside Lodge one day soon. !!!!!!!!

John and Pam Thiel from Lacrosse, WI retuned to Fireside Lodge for their second consecutive year. First day on the water they did great catching 17 fish, and John caught a 34 and 35 inch Northern Pike on consecutive casts, while fishing for Smallmouth Bass. He hooked these fish in the corner of their mouths with a 6-inch white curl tail power worm. Surprised, yes however a welcome one. Second day they caught over 20 Northern Pike, and many nice Smallmouth Bass including 7 GIANT 17 to 17.75 inch wide girthy Smallmouth Bass. Third day they caught plenty of Smallmouth, but they had to be right on top of them with vertical jigging techniques, and John caught a 35-inch Northern Pike. Fourth day was very different finding some of the larger Smallmouth off of some deep ledges, and others on humps. They trolled with spinner baits to locate the fish, and then applied vertical techniques to catch others in the same locations. Fifth day Pam started the day off right hooking into and landing a nice 30-inch Musky. They caught a number of Smallmouth up to noon, and then things seemed to shut down. Sixth day they started off Smallmouth fishing for BIG BOYS and ended up with more than expected. After Pam hooked and landed a beauty of a 36-inch Muskie on Smallmouth Bass tackle, John pulled out the heavy gear, and after Pam caught her second Muskie on Smallmouth tackle, John put away his heavy gear and opted for the smaller tackle and caught two more Muskie. They landed four Musky altogether, and also finally caught some Smallmouth Bass in the 15 to 16 inch range. Very exciting day for Pam and John, and the smiles on their faces and laughter in their voices at the supper table shined through. On their seventh and final day they caught about fifteen Smallmouth Bass between 14 to 16 inches, and they continued on their Muskie streak catching 3 more, again on their Smallmouth Bass equipment and Pam again caught a BIG Heavy 36 inch Tiger Musky. Pam could have auctioned off her lure, but decided to keep it as a memento to hang with the photos of her Muskie catches. Both had fabulous fun fishing at Fireside Lodge and intend on returning to do it again.!!!!!!!

Jerry and Wanda Miller from Erwin, TN were at Fireside Lodge for the 12th year in a row. First day they caught over 35 Smallmouth Bass. Second day they caught a bunch of Smallmouth searching for the big Bass, which eluded them. Third day was dedicated to toothy critters and they caught 10 nice Northern Pike with the Smallest being 30 inches and the two largest being a 38 inch, and a 40 inch Master Anglers Award Northern Pike. Jerry also lost a Muskie and had another strike right at boat side. Fourth day these two got into a lot of Northern Pike and kept very busy. Jerry said for a while it seemed like they caught a fish every cast. Both had smiles on their faces at suppertime, as always, as they explained their happenings of their day. Jerry and Wanda finished with a bang on their fifth and final day as they caught 23 Smallmouth Bass in a half of day, and all were between 15 to 17.5 inches. For Jerry and Wanda this trip is about everything, and most importantly being together and enjoying their time in the great wilderness atmosphere nature provides at Fireside Lodge. Jerry and Wanda have made many trips to Fireside Lodge, but this trip was very much needed by both, and from the constant smiles on their faces, it seemed to help both of them. Upon departure Jerry and Wanda made their reservations for 2008, and we are already looking forward to their return.!!!!!!

Father and son Robert and Ronald Ramsey from Leavenworth, KS and Sewanee, TN returned to Fireside Lodge for their third fishing trip. First day was spent Muskie fishing with little results, however that’s why they call it Muskie fishing and not Muskie catching. Muskie fishing on the second day led them to having some nice Northern Pike action. Third day they got into some nice Northern Pike and had good action along with some sizable fish, also getting a lot of follows. Fourth day the Muskie were still eluding Bob and Ron, despite their dedicated efforts, however they were catching some very nice Northern Pike while fishing for Musky. Fifth and final day they did very well catching a lot of nice Northern Pike, and just having a fun time as father and son fishing in the Canadian Wilderness that nature offers to all who want to come and experience it first hand. The big part of this trip is the time spent together as father and son, and the memories made and logged, which are precious and priceless. Bob and Ron, thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge to be the place to make your memories together. !!!!!!

A group returning for their sixth consecutive year led by Dr Ed Burns from College Station, TX, included Todd Smith from McKinney, TX, Craig Brazier from Flower Mound, TX, and Dr Barry Brummet from Santa Ana, CA. First day this group caught lot of Northern Pike, but Todd mentioned it was not easy, and the key was to keep moving. Ed was the “Big Fish Guy” as he landed a 40.5 inch Musky and GIANT 43.5 inch Master Anglers Award Northern Pike. Second day Todd and Barry caught a lot of Smallmouth Bass, and Todd tied into and landed a HIGE Smallmouth Bass measuring 20 inches. Third day was bunches of Northern Pike for all. Todd and Ed had at least 6 doubles on Pike, and Barry and Craig caught a lot of 28 to 34 inch Northern Pike, about three in the high 30’s along with some smaller fish, and Craig caught a big 17.5 inch Smallmouth Bass. Fourth day was a little slower but they held their own catching some Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass. Ed said that after the first three days they had, if they did not catch another fish their fourth and fifth days they would go home very happy. Fifth and final day Todd and Ed fished together catching a bunch of Smallmouth Bass including a number of 15 to 17 inchers and three or four in the 17-inch range. They also caught 3 Muskie and Ed lost a BIG one, estimated at 43 to 45 inches, at boat side because of a drag situation Barry and Craig had a blast catching some fish on their last day a soaking up the last hours of the wilderness that surrounds you when fishing at Fireside Lodge. All left sad but very pleased, and intend on returning in 2008.!!!!!!

Walt LaCasse from Wayzata, MN returned for his second trip in 2007 and this time with brother-in-law Donald Anderson from Minnetrist, MN making his second trip to Fireside Lodge in as many years. Day of arrival they caught 6 Northern Pike with Don catching the largest at 35 inches. First day before supper they caught twelve Northern Pike, and also caught a few after supper. Second day they decided to Musky fish with little success, and ended up with a few Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass. Last day was spent enjoying the wilderness atmosphere we have, and catching some Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass. Both thoroughly enjoyed their stay and before leaving made reservations for the same dates in 2008. !!!!!!!!

Paul Letournaeu from North Oaks, MN returned to Fireside Lodge for his sixth year and this time with friend Spencer Olson from Minneapolis, MN. Past years Paul has come with his son Michael who is now studying hard in law school. First day they caught some Northern Pike with Spencer catching a nice thick 33-inch Pike. Second day they had a fun day portaging and had fast action and fun catching 36 Northern Pike. Third day they ventured into a few creek accessible lakes, and had many Northern Pike on that they lost at the boat, or in transit to the boat, and landed 12 nice size Northern Pike. The smiles on their faces at the supper table told the story of the fun they had. Fourth and final day they Smallmouth Bass fished and caught some nice Smallies. Paul had some excitement right at the end in the evening of their last day as when fishing alone he hooked and landed a 36 inch Northern Pike, and had a time of it landing the fish, but did a fine job. Both Paul and Spencer had a ball during their stay and intend on returning with another friend next year.!!!!!!!

Making a last minute reservation with us were first time guests Don and Margaret Hampsten from Kinmundy, IL. First few hours before supper they learned their way around the lake and caught three nice Smallmouth Bass. First full day of fishing and they were still learning and caught about half dozen Smallmouth Bass and two Northern Pike. As the saying goes, Don said, “That’s why they call it fishing and not catching”. Second day was all Smallmouth Bass, which they both prefer, and they caught over a dozen nice Smallmouth Bass, and Margaret caught the largest just missing a Master Anglers Award badge as it measured 17.75 inches. They had a fun day and were looking forward to their third and final day. On their last day they did their nest catching 17 good size Smallmouth Bass most 15 to 17.5 inches. Both had a ball during their short three day visit and when checking out Don told me that Fireside Lodge was the best place he has every visited and him and Margaret thoroughly enjoyed their fishing trip. We also enjoyed some great tasting home grown Tomatoes, compliments of Don and Margaret.


Make sure to go to our website listed below to see the 2007 Photos

Hot Lures of The Week: Blue Fox Spinner, Mepps Spinner, Live Leeches, Gulp Leeches, Tube Jigs, Rattl’n Rap, Swim Bait,

Catches of the Week: 43.5 inch Northern Pike, 40 inch Northern Pike, 39 inch Northern Pike, 42 inch Muskie, 40.5 inch Muskie, 20 inch Smallmouth Bass, 19.5 inch Smallmouth Bass

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.firesidelodge.com
800-545-0815
fireside@xplornet.com