Fireside Lodge Fishing News Report 7/2 to 7/9 2005

Fireside Lodge Fishing News Report 7/2 to 7/9 2005

Hello, from Fireside Lodge in Northwest Ontario, Canada. After having another severe thunderstorm at the beginning of the week, the weather turned around and was very pleasant having nice cool mornings and temperatures ranging from 75 to 85 degrees.

Return guests John Cahoon from Chillicothe, Oh and father in law Chuck Kauffman from Mechanicsburg, Oh were back this year to enjoy fishing at Fireside Lodge with their sons Jay and Skip. They were here for a short three day trip, and made the best of their time, as the first day fishing for Smallmouth Bass caught 33 and landed one 18 inch Master Anglers award Smallmouth. The next day they chased Northern Pike, and the group landed over 50 Northern Pike and said they lost more than they caught, which means they hooked up on well over 100 Northern Pike, and John caught a 33 inch Muskie. The third and final day was similar as they caught 47 Northern Pike, and again lost at least 50. This was the first time Skip ever fished for Northern Pike, so just imagine going from never catching a Northern Pike to having all this action. Great trip was had by all, and all hope to return in 2006.

First time guests of Fireside Lodge were Lester Freeman, Bernie Jackson, Dennis Kinkaid all from Ponca City, Ok with Woody Stalnaker from Tulsa, Ok. These gentleman have been fishing in Canada together for 19 consecutive years, this being their first at Fireside Lodge. They began learning our lake system by fishing for, and catching some Smallmouth Bass, and their second day they had a very good day catching a lot of Northern Pike. The third day was also a great day as they caught a lot of Northern Pike and Bernie caught his first Musky measuring 38 inches. WOW, what great first Musky. Bernie and Dennis had a very funny happening while fishing when, Dennis while fighting a Northern Pike had the fish take a strong run under the boat, and as Bernie was bending over in preparation for netting, the Pike jumped and landed in the boat right beside Bernie from the opposite side that Dennis was fighting the fish. Amazed, both laughed and added another great fishing memory to the many made over 19 years. Woody, while catching all these Northern Pike decided that he would he could not land a fish the size of Bernie's 38 inch Muskie, and did not even want to try. Well, you know what happens next don't you? Woody while fighting a 20 inch Northern Pike had a BIG GIANT mid to upper 40 inch Musky attacked the Northern Pike Woody was trying to catch. The battle was on, and Woody did get the Musky up to the boat, only to have it let go of his 20 inch Northern Pike, and swim away waving good-bye with its tail. Their trip was full of excitement, fun, and they enjoyed everything we had to offer at Fireside Lodge, and have already made reservations for 2006.

Second time return guests Frank Hyde, sons Paul and Andrew, and Daughter and Husband Lesley and Phil Woodhouse, from Newmarket and Guelph, Ontario were here to enjoy the great wilderness fishing we have to offer at Fireside Lodge. They had some wonderful family time together while fishing for Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass. One evening Phil and Lesle took a paddle in canoe and got some great photos, some of a Bald Eagle flying overhead. A highlight fish day is when they, as a group, caught over 30 Northern Pike, enjoyed a family meal on shore, and came back to the tackle shop that evening full of excitement and fishing stories. It was wonderful to see a family making memories and having fun outdoors together. Thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge to make some of your family memories.

Third time repeat guests David and Kathie Drake from Terrehaute, In., were back to Fireside Lodge to have fun fishing and enjoying the wilderness atmosphere we have to offer. They truly did enjoy their time together, and caught some nice fish while doing so. Soon into the trip Kathie caught a big wide bodied 38.5 inch Musky. They both were not sure as to its exact size, as they measured it in the cradle, body slumping and tail not pinched. I figured it to be at least 40 inches, not that it mattered as it was a great catch either way. They had several days they did well catching Smallmouth Bass up to 17.5 inches, and had a really good day Northern Pike fishing, landing 25 Northern Pike, and having other action. Even though most of their time was spent having fun fishing, David and Kathie enjoyed everything else, like mealtime in our dinning room, wildlife viewing, great conversation in the lodge, and watching the terrific Canadian sunsets from their cabin. Great trip was had by Great people.

Bob and Jeff Babcock, Jane Waldron, and Dallas Mowery, from Midland, Saginaw, Mi, and Greensboro, NC. were back for their 6th year to chase those BIg fish we are know for at Fireside Lodge. They chased them, they found them, but catching them proved to be the challenge. First day out was good with Bob catching a 37 inch Northern Pike, Jeff landing a 39 incher, and Dallas a 33 inch Pike. They also caught 6 others 28 to 32 inches. The next day Jeff and Dallas did well catching numbers of Northern Pike, landing 48, and also caught two Master Anglers Award Smallmouth Bass. This same day Bob and Jane came to my tackle shop and told me they had the best day ever not catching fish. While Musky fishing they saw many big follows, and a several that would by classified as HUGE. They did land two Musky, one 33" and another at 32 inches. The best part of their day was seeing 6 fish over 40 inches, 2 over 45 inches, and Bob said he would bet his next pay check that one of these Musky was every bit if 48 inches or better. Through the rest of the week they all did well with Dallas and Jeff having another good numbers day landing 26 Northern Pike and Bob landed another 37.5 inch Northern Pike. All had great fun again while fishing at Fireside Lodge, and will be returning again in 2006 during the same week.

Frank and Linda Tyrrell from Canton, Ga were back for their fourth consecutive year, and this time good friends Scott and Debbie Plemmons from Cumming, Ga. joined them. Frank and Linda had a fabulous time as they have had the previous 3 years. Always after the toothy critters, they do well in this category catching not only a lot of fish, but usually catching a lot of bigger fish. They had four really good days catching a lot of Northern Pike in the 25 to 32 inch range and Linda's best catches were 34, 36, and 37 inch Northern Pike and a 30 inch Musky, and Frank's were a 33" Muskie, 38.5 inch Musky and a 36 inch Northern Pike. When talking with Linda and Frank on their last evening Linda expressed that they found where the grand daddy of Northern Pike live. All she could do is repeat that this Northern Pike was BiiiiiiiG. They will no doubt be shooting for this big fellow one day again soon at Fireside Lodge, as Linda said that Fireside Lodge has become one of their two favorite places to vacation together. Friends Scott and Debbie also had a very good first stay at Fireside Lodge. They each caught their first Northern Pike ever, catching 16 of them in one day. Also Scott caught a HUGE Master Anglers Award Smallmouth Bass at 18.5 inches. All had fun, and enjoyed getting away from the southern heat for a while.

Many time repeat guests father and son Randy and Corey Neubert from Loves Park, and Elgin, IL. were joined by friends father and son Ted Sr and Ted Whitfield from Rockford, IL. They were here to fish for Smallmouth Bass, and all had a great fishing / catching experience. They all caught many Smallmouth daily, with some days producing more that others. Ted Jr got started off quickly by catching a GIANT 19.5 inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth within the first few days. Randy and Corey, finished on fire by catching well over 100 Smallmouth on their last day, and most were 14 to 17.5 inches. They also caught a few Master Anglers Smallmouth over 18 inches on that day. Corey and Ted Jr., portaged to a lake one day catching 35 Northern Pike, while Ted Sr and Randy teamed up to catch many Smallmouth, and 4 were Master Anglers Award Smallmouth being over 18 inches. The last night Randy told us that this was by far the best fishing he experienced anywhere, on any fishing trip ever. Fun was had by all, and they all hope to return to Fireside Lodge again.

Bryan Smith from Yorktown, In. with friend and daughter Audrey and Megan were visiting Fireside Lodge for their first time. Bryan being an experienced fisher person knew that this trip would be dedicated to teaching, and giving a lot of instruction. These three fished 4 different lakes while they were here, and had a ball exploring. The first day out was a success as they caught Northern Pike and Smallmouth, which was a first for Audrey and Megan. During the week they also had their far share of Musky sightings with a few near catches. Audrey and Megan also made some acquaintances, and Megan in the process was discovered in her extraordinary talent of drawing wildlife. Amazing the drawing of animals she could do in a short period of time. Fun was had by all three and Bryan hopes to return in order to even the score with some of those big Muskies that he saw.

Back for his 10th year Gerald Adams from Shawnee, Ok, brought son Zach, father/grandpa Laddie from Oklahoma City, Ok, and Matt Hopkins and seven year old son Jack also from Shawnee, Ok. This group was thrilled to be back when they arrived, and were quick to settle in their home away from home in our main lodge. We never had lack of conversation with these 5, as we spent many of evening in the lodge having some great discussions over a cup of coffee or two. For Gerald it was time to relax from his busy life and spend some quality time with his son and dad. For Matt this trip has become a special time the enjoy with Jack, which is hard to get when at home. They did very well fishing four of their five days, catching as a group 40, 57, 82, and 59 Smallmouth. The day they caught 82, was a magic day, as they caught a lot of these fish between 14 to 17.5 inches. Seven year old Matt caught a 17.5 inch Smallmouth on this day and was very excited about the battle he had with this fish. All from this group had a fun and enjoyable stay at Fireside Lodge, and were already talking about the possibility of making arrangements for 2006.

For the fourth straight year Ewell Scott from Moorhead, Ky., brought up his group of family and friends. This year it included father Earl from Frankfort, Ky., Ed from Morehead, Ky., Adam from Lexington, Ky., Phil Tackett, Charles Tingle both from Morehead, Ky., Greg Scott from Rancho Viejo, Tx., and Scott Pryor from Greensboro, NC. For the past three years we have celebrated Earl's 89th, 90th, and 91st birthday, and this year their trip was arranged a week later so we missed Earl's actual birth date of June 25th. However, we celebrated Earl's birthday anyway as it has become a tradition at Fireside Lodge. This group had some fabulous family time together, and some equally fabulous fishing, to go along with the family time, during their four day stay. One day this group landed 215 Northern Pike, and said they lost nearly as many. Earl had a terrific day not only catching Northern Pike, but catching a 36 inch Musky, and an 18 inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth Bass. Earl has set the bar very high for me attain when I reach his age. I just hope to be fishing at Earl's age. Another day had Phil and Greg catching 40 Northern Pike, and Charlie and Ed catching 25 Smallmouth. The last day was dedicated to Smallmouth fishing, and they caught a ton of Smallmouth that day, with both Ewell and Phil, and Adam and Ed combinations catching 49 per boat. Ed caught a HUGE Master Anglers Award Smallmouth measuring 19.5 inches. Greg and Scott fished together on this day, and each caught a Master Anglers Award Smallmouth, Greg's being 18.25 inches and Scott's measuring 18.5 inches. After accomplishing this fishing feat, both yelled to one of the other boats " hey, we don't even fish and we are Master Angler fishers". The opportunity is their for anyone who just goes out and fishes. All had a very fun trip, and we hope to see all again in 2006 to celebrate Earl's 93rd Birthday. Thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge for such a special celebration, and for making very special family memories. The biggest catch of all!!

Hot Lures of The Week: Mepps and Blue Fox Spinners, Fantastic Plastic, Swim Baits, Leeches

Catches of the Week: 39 Inch Northern Pike, 19.5 inch Smallmouth Bass, 38.5 inch Muskie, an 18 " Smallmouth and 36" Muskie in the same day buy 92 year old Earl Scott, and a 17.5 inch Smallmouth Bass by 7 year old Jack Hopkins.

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