Fireside Lodge Fishing News Report 8/14 to 8/21 2004

Fireside Lodge Fishing News Report 8/14 to 8/21 2004

Hello From Fireside Lodge in Northwest Ontario, where summer is hanging on, but we are starting to get hints of fall approaching. The nights get noticeably cooler, and often we wake up to fog on the water from the air temperatures being cooler than the waters. This is beautiful to see, and watch the sun slowly burn off the fog. Also we had our first severe cold front come through, and even though we recovered quickly from this, it is telling a story of weather soon to come. Rex and Eve Dillinger, long time guests of Fireside Lodge, needed a safe getaway from the stress of their work and every day life activities, and they always seem to find what they need at Fireside Lodge. They enjoy fishing, but they also just enjoy being in the wilderness solitude we have to offer along with the ability to do nothing but be with each other and fish. Fishing they did, and they did do some catching. Fishing primarily for Smallmouth Bass they had some great days. The first of four days concentrating on Smallmouth Bass they caught 38 big Smallmouth, and landed 3 Master Anglers Award Smallmouth 18, 18.25, and 19 inches. Second day they caught 48 Smallmouth most between 14 to 17.5 inches, and Rex landed another Monster Master Anglers Smallmouth measuring 19 inches. Third day Smallmouth fishing they had the best day ever catching well over 50 and they were all large, with Rex catching yet another 18 in Master Anglers Award Smallmouth at 18 inches, and their last day they finished strong catching 43 Smallmouth all between 14 to 17 inches. They left with smiles on their faces and already looking forward to their trip in 2005.

Greg Kuth, from School Craft, Mi came with father Don from Cary, IL to fish at Fireside Lodge for their first time for a four day stay. They learned a lot in four days as their daily catch went from 6 Smallmouth, to 12 Smallmouth, and on the third day they caught 24. Now they believe they figured out what structure and depth to fish at, and also rented a depth finder the last day, and by supper time they caught 50 nice size Smallmouth Bass. These two left having the trip of their lives and made many memories. They are already looking forward to their return to Fireside Lodge.

Father and sons Mike Sr and Mike Clark from Lake Worth, FL and Wichita, Ks and Willis and Denny Shinaberry from Mineral and Manassas, Va. we also at Fireside Lodge for their first time. They had an absolute blast enjoying the wilderness and the excellent Smallmouth fishing they came for. The first day was spent getting familiar with the waters and catching a few fish. Their second day they discovered finesse fishing with leeches, and Mike Sr and Mike caught 34 Smallmouth and Willis and Denny caught 30 Smallmouth, several Northern Pike, which was their first, and Denny caught his first Muskie. Third day Mike Sr and Mike caught 73 Smallmouth, Willis and Denny caught over 50, and Denny lost a Giant estimated at 20 to 21 inches. Taking a break from Smallmouth, they fished for Northern Pike for a day and landed about 18 as a group. They went back to the fantastic Smallmouth fishing, and Mike and Mike caught 53 all nice size, and Willis and Denny caught 33 between 14 to 17 inches, along with 12 other smaller ones, and Denny caught a Master Anglers Smallmouth measuring 18.5 inches. The last day was also full of great Smallmouth action and Denny caught a Master Anglers Award Smallmouth right at 18 inches. All left having the fishing trip of a lifetime, and when finding Mike Sr soaking up the view from the screened porch in the lodge, he said he was already thinking about their next trip back to Fireside Lodge

Brothers Bill Richard and Tom Anderson from Sauk Village and Channahon, IL were making their first visit to Fireside Lodge, and this was their first Canadian Wilderness Fishing Adventure. As a great gesture and gift Bill promised his brother Tom that he would take him to Canada fishing when graduating high school, and Tom picked Fireside Lodge. Well, they had a very good time during their stay, fishing day and night. They caught Smallmouth, Northern Pike and Muskie, and one day while catching Smallmouth Tom caught a Master Anglers Award Smallmouth Bass at 18 inches. On their last day they were wanting to catch Muskie, and they managed to catch eight of these prize freshwater fish. These two arrived with smiles on their faces and left with smiles on their faces, and made some very nice brother memories.

Jerry and Wanda Miller from Erwin, Tn were back again at Fireside Lodge for their second time as a couple, and Jerry has been with us ten times. Jerry has gotten to know our lake system very well, and seems as the Smallmouth cannot hide from him. On their first day out Jerry and Wanda caught over 40 Smallmouth 14 to 17.5 inches, Wanda had such a good day she kept Jerry so busy, that after measuring a Master Anglers 18.5 inch Smallmouth Bass he released it so quickly he forgot to take a picture. Jerry also lost the largest Smallmouth he had ever seen, when trying to land it himself the fish dove under the boat, and got slack line and came off. I think next time Jerry will have Wanda net his fish. Their next day Wanda had another great day as they caught 37 bigger Smallmouth, and Jerry caught another 18.25 inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth. Their third day was about a repeat of the first landing well over 40 Smallmouth, caught a lot 14 to 17 inches, and Wanda caught the biggest going 17.5 inches. Their next day they were faced with the worst cold front conditions I have ever seen in August, with cold rain, winds 40 kph gusting to 70 kph, and temperatures in the mid 40's by 2:00 in the afternoon. They only fished until noon, and still managed to catch 21 Smallmouth all big between 15 to 17.5 inches, and Jerry caught another Master Angler Award Smallmouth measuring 18.5 inches. They choose just to relax and enjoy each others company on their last day, as the weather was cold and rainy. They left having another great trip, full of laughs and memories, and have already made their reservations for 2005.

Good friends and fishing buddies Larry Sparks and Jim Gancarek from Crestwood, IL choose Fireside Lodge as their fishing destination for their first time. These two an absolute blast fishing at Fireside Lodge. On their first day ever fishing on Little Vermilion Lake they caught 34 very nice size Smallmouth Bass, and Jim was a Master of anglers on this day as he managed to land a 34 inch Northern Pike while Smallmouth fishing with a light rod and 6lb test line. What a great catch. Another day these two had a ball catching 20 Northern Pike, and missing as many on surface buzz baits. You should have heard the excitement in their voices, and seen the gleam in their eyes, as they described the surface explosions they experienced that day. Fighting through some severe cold front conditions, with cold rain and high winds, they still managed to land about 15 Northern Pike and Larry caught a few heavy fish at 33.5 inches and 34 inches. Both had yet to catch a Muskie this trip, and Jim had never caught one, decided to fish for toothy critters on their last day so Jim could catch his first Muskie ever. Well, patience and perseverance paid off as nearer the end of their last day Jim caught his first Muskie, and it was a great big 40 incher. Great first Muskie catch!!!!!! Soon after he hooked into a 35 inch Tiger Muskie. Boy when it rains it pours, no stopping Jim now. Then Larry got into the act with a 35 inch Muskie to add to his 31 inch Muskie caught earlier in the day. So after going 5 days with no Muskie, in a matter of 1.5 hours they caught 3 and landed 4 Muskie in one day, that being their last. When coming into breakfast on their day of departure, I asked Larry and Jim how they were doing, and Jim responded "oh I'm singing the blues". Which made me feel good, as that meant he was sad to leave Fireside Lodge. They hope to return one day to add to their Fireside Lodge memories.


Father and thirteen year old son Mike and Gary Kutchik from Naperville, IL were back to Fireside Lodge for their third consecutive year. They had a wonderful father and son trip as they have the last two years. These two enjoy all that we have to offer at Fireside Lodge, wilderness, relaxed atmosphere, wildlife viewing, fishing of course, and taking an afternoon nap. During their stay they caught both Smallmouth Bass and Northern Pike. One day there was special excitement in Mike's voice as he described their day. When fishing in Cedarbough, all of a sudden within 20 minutes he had two Muskie follows as long as his leg, and Mike is tall measuring 6'4". Then within another 15 minutes he hooked into a large Muskie which he fought only to have it jump completely out of the water and throw the hook. Mike said the Muskie went one way and his line few like a rocket in the other direction. Fortunately Mike managed to hook and land 31.5 in Muskie later in the day, which was Mike's first Muskie. Very exciting day for Mike and Gary. These two had a great fishing vacation together, and logged another year of memories at Fireside Lodge.

Bernie Duckinsky and Bill Bartley from Springfield, Mo back to Fireside Lodge for their fourth straight year, came with third time return guest Dean Ellingsen, from Everton, Mo and second time guest Tim McKelvie from Republic, Mo. What a fantastic fishing and catching trip these four had. These four had fabulous fishing despite the rough weather patterns with cold air and rain, and high winds for 3.5 days. As a group they caught 13 Master Anglers Awards Smallmouth, with Bill having six 18 to 20.5 inches, Bernie four between 18.25 to 19 inches, Tim caught two at 18.25 and 19.5 inches, and Dean caught one measuring 18.75 inches. One of their days Bill and Bernie caught over 80 Smallmouth Bass with Dean and Tim catching over 40 Smallmouth. On this day Dean asked if we have a Master Anglers Award for perch. Ha. They had a great Northern Pike day catching over 30 per boat, and Another day brought over 50 Smallmouth between the four of them. In the dinning room when asking Bernie what size Pike he caught when Smallmouth fishing, as it was the only Pike of the day, he responded 25 to 45 inches. So I think it was 25.5 inches. Nice try Bernie. One day while Bill and Bernie were catching Smallmouth they had a double Master Angler Award Smallmouth catch with Bill's measuring 20.5 inches and Bernie's at 18.5 inches. Great catch!!!!!! Another side story was that Dean caught his first fish on a Lazy Ike, a very popular lure from years gone by, and not many people are seen fishing with this lure anymore. What makes this so special is that it was Dean's fathers favorite lure, and every time Dean goes fishing he catches one for his dad on his favorite lure. I found this very touching, and really tells us all the real reasons we love to fish with friends and family. The Memories, is the correct answer.

Brad and Sheri Pugh, from Pandora, Oh were back to Fireside Lodge for their third consecutive year. Back for the third year, both were very excited to arrive. They had a great first day fishing as they landed 15 Northern Pike between 30 to 35 inches, Sheri caught her first Muskie at 36 inches, caught a Northern Pike at 36 inches, and Brad landed a near Master Anglers Award Tiger Muskie measuring a BIG 43 inches. Next day out they targeted large Muskie and came up blanked, but the next day they got right back into catching Northern Pike. They last two days were tough as they had to battle the cold rainy weather along with very high winds gusting between 50 to 70 kph. Also, Sheri was fighting a cold all week and she started to feel a little worse by weeks end, but was unbelievable as she went fishing every day in lousy weather. They had fun despite the variables, and already reserved their week in 2005.

Chuck and Gene Someneck from Carol Stream and Bartlett, IL were back to Fireside Lodge for their second year in a row, and joining them was Steve and John Golabek from South Elgin and Carol Stream, IL. This group was here just for the long fish, and they did well on some days, and not so well on others. A few days each boat landed 25 to 30 Northern Pike, biggest was 39.5 inches caught by John. By weeks end Gene and Chuck caught 8 Muskie, four each, and Gene lost an estimated 45 inch, 25 pounder. That's a great Muskie trip by anyone's standards. By weeks end they all caught a god number of fish, and some big tooothy critters.

Bob Krueger, from Chapel Hill, NC was fishing at Fireside Lodge for his first time, and on his first day did well catching Northern Pike landing two 36 inch Pike. Not bad for never fishing on Little Vermilion Lake before. He had some catching days and some non catching days, but had a good fishing trip landing a number of other good size Northern Pike. The most thing he enjoyed was getting away from his every day work schedule, and just being able to fish, relax in the lodge at night, and read a few good books. It recharged him for his return home.

Troy Starkey, 10 year old Javan from Creston, Oh and Grandpa Ray from Wooster, Oh were fishing at Fireside Lodge for their very first time. This three generations group was greeted by the worst cold front conditions I have ever seen in August. This made them almost completely lose their first two days of fishing, and their last two days the weather was better but still tough. Javan, 10 years old, had picked Fireside Lodge as his vacation spot over Disney World of which he had been twice. The last two days they tried to make up for lost time, and stayed on the water all day up to dark. Their persistence paid off as they caught fish, and on their last day caught over 30 Smallmouth Bass, and Troy caught a 17.5 inch Smallmouth, and Ray caught an 18.5 inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth. They also ended up seeing some special places on the lake like Twin Falls, saw some wildlife, and enjoyed a shore lunch on the final day. Fun was had by all and they seemed pretty sad when leaving, and Troy said him and Javan will be back to Fireside Lodge one day soon.

Paul and son Michael Letourneau from were back fishing at Fireside Lodge for their third time. They also had to face the severe cold upon arrival. First two days out were a weather and wind challenge which resulted in just a few fish, but two were both fish of a lifetime. Michael managed to catch both, as on his first day he caught a Master Anglers Award Northern Pike measuring 40 inches, and it was as big as it could get, looking as though it was bulging from it's seams. The next day he caught an equally as big 39 inch Northern Pike. You can view both of these in our lodge on our digital viewer slide show. Both had fun and made more father and son memories together. As they left the told me the favorite line of the California state governor, "Will Be Back".

Fran and Colleen Stack from Lorain Oh, were at Fireside Lodge for their first time for a short three day stay. This was the first fishing trip of it's kind for Fran and Colleen, and they were all smiles and full of excitement when they arrived, and stayed that way for their whole 4 night / 3 day stay. Even the weather could not take their excitement and smiles away, as their day of arrival and first day was met with cold rain and high winds, but they also made best of their last two days. First day out they caught some nice Smallmouth Bass, which was also Colleens first Smallmouth, and she managed to land a near Master Anglers Award Smallmouth measuring 17.5 inches. Their second day they caught a number of Smallmouth Bass, and several Northern Pike of which one, a 24 incher, was Colleen's first ever. Great going Colleen. Their last day was one of their best days ever, as they caught many Northern Pike, and Colleen broke her biggest Pike record the second time in as many days, and she also landed a 37 inch Northern Pike, and managed to also catch her first Muskie ever, which was a beauty measuring 35 inches. Colleen was all smiles and it was hard for me to tell who was happier, Colleen or Fran? Both had a wonderful time together, and we hope to see their smiling faces again.

Hot Lures of the week: Mepps, Bucktails, Plastic Swim Baits, Tube Jigs

Master Anglers Awards Caught: 24 Smallmouth Bass largest 20.5 inches and 1 Northern Pike at 40 inches.

That's all for this weeks Fireside Lodge fishing news, so until next week, "Keep On Fish'n." Alan