Fireside Lodge Fishing News Report 7/30 to 8/6 2005

Fireside Lodge Fishing News Report 7/30 to 8/6 2005

Hello from Fireside Lodge in Northwest Ontario, Canada. After several weeks of warm weather we had a cool down and temperatures ranged between 66 to 72 degrees. The water temps also cooled down about 4-6 degrees, and the cool nights created a beautiful mist on the water almost every morning.

I will start out this weeks report with first time guests, father and son Jack and Steven Starnes from Duffield, Va. Day of arrival these two started out great, as they caught about 15 Smallmouth Bass and 15 Northern Pike, and the Smallmouth were all large, especially the 19+ inch Smallmouth Steven caught. Their first full day ever on Little Vermilion Lake, they caught over 25 Smallmouth, all chunkers, with three being Master Angler Award Smallmouth measuring 18 inches or better, and they caught some nice Northern Pike 26 to 32 inches, and Steven just missed a Master Anglers Award Northern Pike catching a 39.5 incher. Their second day was fabulous as they caught over 35 Smallmouth Bass, with only 2 being under 15 inches and Steven landed another four over 18 inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth Bass, one being 19.25 inches. Jack also caught several just missing 18 inches, and landed his first Muskie ever at 36 inches. Steven while trying to land a Smallmouth had a 34 inch Musky come up a grab the Smallmouth, and the fight was on with 6lb test and no leader. He got them to the boat and managed to net both. The Musky let go of the Smallmouth and a picture was had with this very unusual double catch. The next day these two had a lot of follows but the Musky were less than cooperative. However, by evening Steven hooked two and landed a wide bodied 39 inch Muskie on a Top Raider. What a fabulous way to catch a big Musky. Their last day they caught a lot of Smallmouth in the morning and then decided to Musky fish, and they had many follows, hooked several and landed a nice 34 inch Musky. Steven ended up catching 9 Master Anglers Award Smallmouth Bass between 18 and 19.5 inches. Great fun was had by this father and son, so much so that they reserved their time for the same dates in 2006.

Another father and son at Fireside Lodge for the first time were Bob and Ron Ramsey from Leavenworth, Ks and Sewanee, Tn. First day ever on Little Vermilion Lake, they got into some Northern Pike by afternoon and found an area that for an hour or so they seemed to catch one right after another. Second day they fished for Smallmouth and caught about 17 nice Smallmouth and several good size Northern Pike. The second day Ron mentioned him and Bob spent a lot of time learning drop offs and where important structure areas were located in some of the bays. It paid off immediately as they did catch some nice Smallmouth and Northern Pike in some of these areas, and Ron was very excited about the next day when they could explore these areas more. Well, for the next several days they applied some of their newly learned skills, and caught more Smallmouth plus Bob caught a Master Anglers Award Smallmouth measuring 18 inches. The real challenge was their last day as it was very windy, but after some searching they found a spot that produced not only Smallmouth, but BIG Smallmouth Bass. These two had an absolute blast with their whole fishing experience at Fireside Lodge, and are planning their return in 2006.

A large return group of ten consisting of Mark Stock from Blaine, Mn, Gary Kuechler from Addison, IL, Greg Pusch from Elk Grove Village, IL, Steven and Andrew Veith from Menasha and Appleton, Wi, Jon Klappenbach from Arlington Hgts, IL, Bobby and Jason Morse from Morton Grove, IL, and Dustin Conlon and Jim McCrory both from Westmont, IL. were at Fireside Lodge to fish and have fun. On the day of arrival, in only a few hours of fishing, all caught fish, and Bobby, who never really fished much before hooked into a HUGE Muskie, and lost it after it jumped completely out of the water about 10 feet in front of him and Gary. Their first full day was full of fast action and catching a lot of fish. As a group they caught 119 fish by supper time, with Gary and Bobby have a fabulous day landing 33 toothy critters, and Bobby (the rookie) catching his first Musky at 32 inches, and his biggest Northern Pike at 33 inches. For the first time fishing within 24 hours Bobby hooked and lost, and hooked and landed one Muskie. The fish of 10,000 casts obviously does not apply to Bobby. Steven and Andy Veith caught 16 Northern Pike most over 30 inches, and Jon and Greg landed about 20 along with a bunch of Smallmouth, and Jon caught his biggest ever Northern Pike at 36 inches. Mark caught a heavy 36 inch Musky, plus Jim and Dustin caught their first Muskie ever. Dustin also caught a 38 inch Northern Pike which was his biggest ever. GRRRRREAT first day for all. Second day out a few teams shined, and father and son Steven and Andrew Veith caught 24 and Andrew caught his first Master Angler Award Smallmouth measuring 18.5 inches. Also Greg and Jon had a great day Smallmouth fishing catching about 20 and Jon caught several Northern Pike one being 35.5 inches. Mark had a wonderful opportunity to see and photograph a Black Bear swimming across the lake. On another day this group had split reports, some taking on portage lakes, others going to our creek accessible lakes or fishing Little Vermilion Lake. The pairs of Greg and John and Steven and Andrew did the best catching a bunch of Northern Pike. Greg figured a new method of fishing soft plastic swim baits that was very successful. It was windy and all hid did was put the swim bait under float, and let the wind blow it around and create the action. Guest what, it worked as they Northern Pike just slammed these plastic baits. The fourth day Greg and Jon had a great day catching 34 fish, 31 Northern Pike with three Smallmouth Bass, and Gary and Mark had a fabulous day catching well over 50 fish, a combination of Northern Pike, Muskie and Smallmouth. Mark landed a HUGE Master Anglers Award Smallmouth measuring 19.5 inches. This groups last day was very windy, but Jim and Dustin came through as they caught 24 Northern Pike all 30 to 35 inches. All had a very good time and made some great memories amongst friends and family. Thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge to spend this valuable time.
Special note to Mark, we will think of, and pray for your son, who is off to serve his country in Iraq.

Ralph, Beth, and Mark Wilcove from Silver Spring, Md and Rochester, Ny, and Martin and Christine Schaefer from Mendota Hgts, Mn were at Fireside Lodge for their first visit. First day out was spent getting use to the lake system and having fun catching a few fish and viewing wildlife. The second day they had fun catching Northern Pike and enjoying our adventure of going through a wilderness creek area to access a few other lakes. Mark is a natural at fishing and he was really interested in learning our lake system. There last two days they enjoyed exploring our lakes and catching some Northern Pike. All enjoyed the Wildlife, and for Marty and Christine that was the main reason they came. They fished a little, however their big interest is just being outdoors and seeing how the amazing creatures of the earth live. Fun was had by all, and memories were made.

Also here for their first time was Richard Lawrence from Trout Valley, IL and David Hadley from Algonquin, IL. First day on the lake was spent exploring and catching a few fish. Second day they had fun breaking up a beaver dam to get into Cedarbough. {See Doc, your not the only one these beavers torment}. They had a great day enjoying their wilderness experience, catching some fish, and enjoying the wonderful shorelunches we provide, including the delicious whitefish we supply. Another day they did one of our portage lakes, caught some Northern Pike, and enjoyed the solitude of being the only people on a lake. They also ventured into our two other creek accessible lakes, and had a ball every day just being on the water in a wilderness atmosphere, catching fish, and enjoying each others company. They intend o returning with their wives.

Back for their 5th straight year were good friends Steve Wagner from Chicago, IL, and Gene Friedmann from Madison, Wi. First evening out they caught 3 Northern Pike and a Smallmouth. First day they fished some new areas with success catching some Smallmouth Bass and several Northern Pike. The second day out the went for numbers of toothy critters, and they said at supper that they could have caught as many Northern Pike as they wanted to, however finally decided to throw for some bigger fish. They did well on their third day catching a lot of nice Northern Pike, and a few Smallmouth Bass. Another day while Muskie fishing they had a few follows, but the Musky were not cooperative, and the high winds sure did not help. Last few days were spent catching a combination of Northern Pike and a few Smallmouth, and those Musky eluded Steve and Gene this year. Both had loads of fun and hope to return in 2006.

Here for their first time were couple Bill and Sandy Dubovick from Spotswood, NJ. First day ever on Little Vermilion Lake they caught some nice Smallmouth Bass, and there is a great story behind one of the catches. As Bill was fighting a BIG Smallmouth Bass, all of a sudden the Smallmouth started going crazy. Then Bill and Sandy saw why. A HUGE Muskie wanted to eat the Smallmouth Bill was catching. When all was said and done Bill ended up landing the Smallmouth which turned out to be a 19.5 inch MONSTER Master Anglers Smallmouth. They said the Musky was HUGE, and it had to be to try and eat a Smallmouth that size. The second day was spent catching a lot of average size Smallmouth. The third day Bill and Sandy decided to target large Smallmouth. Well, they were very successful as they caught a lot of bigger Smallmouth, and Bill caught two very large Master Anglers Award Smallmouth measuring 18.5 inches. According to Bill and Sandy the girth on these two Smallmouth were enormous. I have the digital pictures, and look for them on my weekly fishing photos, and in the lodge on our digital picture viewer. Their fourth day they caught a lot of Smallmouth, most on the larger side and had loads of fun doing so. The last day brought them high winds which made things a bit more difficult, however Bill and Sandy found some spots that they caught a bunch of Northern Pike and Smallmouth, in the exact same area. Sandy had a fabulous Smallmouth day, not only catching a lot of fish but larger Smallmouth. Sandy also landed her first Master Anglers Award Smallmouth measuring 18 inches. In the evening Bill told me that it was the first day that Sandy beat him bad at fishing. Way to go Sandy. Both had fabulous fun and got a well deserved break from their busy lives to reconnect as at couple. Thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge as the place to spend this special time together.

Brad Sammons from Greenwood, In. brought his two boys, Ryne and Braden, fishing in Canada for their first time, which is a wondeful opportunity for two young boys. First day on the water they had some excitement while catching Smallmouth Bass. Brad while fighting an average size Smallmouth, all of a sudden had his rod double over and some severe thrashing took place. After having the rod go limp, the Smallmouth was landed in a shredded condition. It was obvious that a large toothy critter tried to steal Brad's catch. Next day they caught more Smallmouth, and Brad hooked and landed a Master Anglers Award Musky measuring 44 inches. WOW! What a great catch, and an equally as great of a net job by son Ryne. These three had a great third day, as they caught a lot of Smallmouth and Northern Pike, most on surface baits, and Brad ended up catching an 18.5 inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth. Brad now only needs a 40 inch or larger Northern Pike to get the Master Anglers Triple Crown. The fourth day they caught a bunch of Smallmouth, Northern Pike, and one 34 inch Musky. All three caught Master Anglers Award Smallmouth measuring 18 inches, and Ryne and Braden were thrilled with these big Smallmouth Bass. The last two days they caught more nice fish, and within hours of their fishing trip ending Brad landed his first Muskie ever, a very nice 30 inch barred Musky. Congratulations Brad, as at age 11 that is a great fishing feat accomplished. Great fun and wonderful father and son memories were made on their first fishing trip to Fireside Lodge. Before leaving Brad was already planning to come with a larger family group in 2006.

Father and son Don and Andrew Rathje, many time return guests, from Downers Grove and Bloomigdale, IL were back to Fireside Lodge to pursue those large toothy critters. They did very well their first day catching 25 Northern Pike and 2 Musky, which is an excellent Muskie day in anyone's book. Second day they were in search of Musky and found them, had many follows and Don hooked a large Muskie and lost him at the boat. Third day was also spent looking for that BIG Musky having three follows and landing a nice 32 inch Northern Pike. Fishing for the BIG Musky always comes with a price, but it is usually a price worth paying. The next day it did pay off with them catching two Musky with Andrew's being a large 37 inch beautifully marked Musky, and a big 36 inch Northern Pike. Their last day they faced tough winds but still caught some nice Northern Pike. When leaving they said they had a fabulous stay and these two made another set of father and son memories at Fireside Lodge.

Father and Son Jim and Billy Barnes from Lawrence, Ks were back to Fireside Lodge for their second consecutive year. First day out they caught a bunch of Smallmouth, and Jim caught his first ever Northern Pike. It was a thrill for both, and Billy was impressed with this large toothy critter. Next day was fabulous Smallmouth Fishing for these two as Billy caught 41 and Jim 28. All were good to big size fish, and Jim caught two Master Anglers Award Smallmouth over 18 inches with Billy just missing, catching a 17.5 inch Smallmouth. Their third day was exciting as Billy caught 38 Smallmouth, and Jim caught 28, with a lot of bigger Smallmouth being caught, and Jim landed another slightly over 18 inch Smallmouth Bass. The most excitement came when Billy was doing a great job in fighting what seemed might be his first Master Anglers Award Smallmouth Bass, and all of a sudden at boat side a HUGE Northern Pike came out of nowhere and attacked the near 18 inch Smallmouth Billy was fighting. This BIG Northern Pike took off breaking Billy's line, and stealing his possible Master Anglers Catch. Could you imagine the surprise this was to Billy. Their fourth and final day was a very windy day, but they still managed to catch 35 Smallmouth within about 3 hours of fishing. Great Smallmouth fishing, Great catching, and GRRRRRREAT memories made by Jim and Billy.

Father and Son Dave and Dick Hamilton from Laurel, MD and Reading, Pa with good friend Al Sins from Asheville, NC were back to Fireside Lodge, and this year Dave brought his nephew Daniel, who at fourteen was going to experience his first fishing trip to Canada. On the first evening of the day of arrival Al Sins quickly entered a special memory in his years of Musky Hunting. While him and Dick were fishing, Al saw a BIG Musky swim by and yelled to Dick, "Hey about a 40 incher just swam by the boat." Al picked up a bucktail and threw it in the direction the Muskie was swimming with no result, then picked up another rod wit a Top Raider and just threw it where he hoped the fish swam. As he was reeling a big fish followed his lure to the boat and just as he started his figure eight the fish exploded on the surface plug. After a bunch of splashing and zig zag runs, Al ended up with a beauty of a picture with a 39.5 inch Musky. GREAT START! Next day these four had great Northern Pike catching day as they landed 36 of these toothy critters, and Dave came up with the daily Musky catch of 35 inches. The rest of the week was enjoyed by all fishing for Musky and Smallmouth Bass. Daniel showed his ability as a fisher while fishing with Al one day he caught 15 Northern Pike and another two days fishing with Grandpa Dick, Daniel caught 7 and 12 Northern Pike. The last two days Dave and Al spent Muskie chasing having plenty of follows. Dave hooked up on three one day only to lose all three Musky, and they each boated one. Wonderful stay was had by all, fishing and having fun conversations. Just before I was going to post this fishing report Dave emailed me his recap of the week and I thought it would be nice to include words from the horses mouth, in this case Dave's mouth.

Hi Alan & Audrey,

Thanks again for a wonderful stay at Fireside Lodge! Dad, Daniel, Al
and I all made it to our respective homes okay with none of the flight
troubles we had going north. It stinks to be back at work. Your staff
was wonderful, as always. It was neat to be remembered by some of them
and the guys on the dock really hustled. Here are the results of our
fishing last week:

# Muskies 6 (3 for Al and 3 for me) largest was Al's 39.5 caught the
first night on a TopRaider
# Pike 132 (Daniel caught the most with 42) most were caught on copper
Mepps #5 sparsely dressed (Tommy Toupee's)
# Bass 83 (I had the most with 24) wacky worming with Gulp worms.
Biggest was 17 (each by Daniel, Dave and Al)

Highlights:

Al caught his big muskie the first night on a figure 8 using a
TopRaider. Daniel (who is from Raleigh, NC) had a slow start, but then
outfished the old men once we got him to switch to the smaller Mepps.
Teenagers are so stubborn sometimes. It was great to have him be able
to join us. Dad really enjoyed fishing with his grandson and had a
great time catching pike and bass. Dave and Al had 15 muskies follow on
each of friday and saturday. Dave had 3 hookups on friday, but none
landed. The big Chamber of Commerce fish hit Dave's TopRaider twice on
Saturday night, once coming most of the way out of the water. Dave
snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, though. The Chamber of
Commerce fish is one that provides enough success to guarantee that I'll
be back next year. Al had "stupid" fish that hung around figure 8's for
about 50 yds of drift on friday afternoon. He caught, probably, that
fish on Saturday night.

Thanks again,

Dave


A family group at Fireside Lodge for their first time, were David and Joyce Beuther from Fox Lake, IL, Tom and Eric Christ from Bartlett, IL, Scott and Brad Beutler from Barrington, IL, and Curt Beutler from Combined Locks, Wi. All were very excited to be here after waiting for 8 months since making their reservations. This group had a fun first day at Fireside Lodge and all caught some Smallmouth Bass and Northern Pike. The father and son combination of Tom and Eric caught 17 Northern Pike. Brad also did very well catching several Northern Pike, one over 30," and Smallmouth. They had a fabulous Musky day on their second time ever fishing our waters. As a group they landed 5 Musky and had numerous follows. In the evening when Scott and son Brad were fishing top water lures for Smallmouth, Brad hooked and landed a GIANT 19.5 inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth Bass. WOW! What a great catch at such a young age of twelve. Brad also caught one of the Muskie that day, which is also a great accomplishment. Most do not attain fishing feats like Brad until we are adults, and fishing for many years. Father Scott and Brad had an exciting experience that same evening. While Scott was working his surface popper, a 40 plus inch Musky came rocketing completely out of the water, and when reentering the water his rod doubled over, and Scott figured he had the fish hooked solid, only to have his rod go limp a few second later having this big Monster Musky throw his lure. The third and final day for this group was fun as they all caught fish, and enjoyed the beautiful day on the lake in a wonderful wilderness atmosphere. Thanks for spending these special family moments, and making special family memories at Fireside Lodge.

First time family guests at Fireside Lodge were Jerry Lebeda and two sons Thomas with son Tom, and Jerry, Jr., with two daughters Caitlin and Cortney, from Joliet, Braidwood, and Bourbonnais, IL. First day on the water they did well catching Smallmouth Bass, and Courtney caught a Master Anglers Award Smallmouth measuring 18 inches. Jerry, Sr., caught a huge Smallmouth over 18 inches, and Tom, Jr. just missed a Master Anglers Smallmouth, landing a BIG 17.5 inch Smallmouth. The next day they targeted toothy critters and did well with all catching fish. Caitlin was the talk of the group as she caught her first Muskie. Tom, Jr. caught four Northern Pike and lost a Big one at the boat. Grandpa Jerry also had a HUGE Musky to the boat, then it rolled, dove under the boat and Jerry's lure came flying out of the water back at him. Exciting action for this group. On their third and final day Jerry Jr, Caitlin, and Cortney had fun catching a lot of Smallmouth Bass, and Tom, son Tom Jr, and Jerry Sr bumped into some good Northern Pike action. This family had a blast, made lots of memories, went home with plenty of fish stories, and all want to return in 2006. Thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge as your family vacation destination.

H0t Lures of the week: Pop-R, Chug Bug, Blue Fox Spinner, Top Raider, Suick, Swim Bait, Leeches

Catches of the week: 44 inch Muskie, 39.5 inch Northern Pike, 19.5 inch Smallmouth with 20 Master Anglers Award Smallmouth caught between 18 to 19.5 inches.

Well, that's it for this weeks fishing report from Fireside Lodge, Please stay tuned for next weeks report. Until then "Keep On Fish'n Alan