Fireside Lodge Fishing News Report 8/25 to 9/1 2007

Fireside Lodge Fishing News Report 8/25 to 9/1 2007

Hello from Fireside Lodge in Northwest Ontario, Canada. Gorgeous is the only way you can describe this week. Temperatures were 65 to 75 for highs and 50 to 60 at night. The freshness of fall is in the air and the definite signs of the Sand Hill Cranes flying South confirm that the Fall season is upon us.

Fathers and sons Ross and Mark Kohlman from Eagan, MN and Marc and Tanner Christman from Shoreline and Seattle WA returned to Fireside Lodge for their second consecutive year. Joining them this year were father and son David and Josh Nelson from Ogilvie, MN. First day out they had a blast, all catching fish and a variety of Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike and Muskie. Tanner caught all three, including a 30” Musky. The group also enjoyed a great shore lunch by Twin Falls. Second day they had fast and furious action with Ross and Mark catching close to 30 Northern Pike, Dave and Josh catching 21, and Marc and Tanner in the high 20’s. All lost a number fish and had some follows. Third and fourth days were spent in search of the BIG FISH, and they caught a number of Northern Pike and Muskie in the 30 to 40 inch range. Josh had a ball catching some of these, Mark managed to catch a very large 38 inch Northern Pike, and Tanner just tore up the Muskie catching five between 31 up to a HUGE 40 inch Musky. Father Marc also caught a nice 35-inch Muskie. Four days of fishing goes fast and all were full of excitement when telling the fish stories in the lodge on the last evening. Many memories were made between fathers and sons.

Fishing at Fireside Lodge for their first experience were Father and Daughter Carl and Stephanie Panzenhagen from Little Tourch Key, FL. First day of two they had fun catching about a dozen nice size Northern Pike and Carl had a huge Musky take everything he had, Lure and twelve inch leader. Carl actually saw the fish come behind the lure and inhale it all, only to bite him off. They also enjoyed a great shore lunch by Twin Falls and enjoyed this natural wonder area. Second and final day the portaged to Booger Lake had a fabulous time catching some Northern Pike and thoroughly enjoyed the walk in and the terrific scenery this lake has to offer. On their way out to have shore lunch they saw fresh Moose tracks, which got their attention. After another fabulous shore lunch they enjoyed fishing the rest of the day and went swimming before supper. This father and daughter had a wonderful short stay at Fireside Lodge, made memories, and Steph wished they could stay a full week.

Another Father and Daughter combination fishing at Fireside Lodge for their first time was Skip and Kim Barker from Darien, CT and Denver, CO. First day out they caught about a dozen Northern Pike with the largest being a 38 inch Pike, which is impressive for being their first day ever on Little Vermilion Lake. Second day they caught a dozen Northern Pike 28 to 34 inches, had a blast together in the boat, and at Twin Falls, a beautiful natural wonder, cooked shore lunch, took photos, and caught fish. Third and final day they again had a fun day catching some fish and spending quality father and daughter time together. These two were also very good conversationalists and had some good discussions with others in the lodge at evening time, and they enjoyed the wonderful wilderness setting Fireside Lodge has to offer to catch up as father and daughter, and to add to their memory book. Thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge as a place to spend special time together.

Returning for their third fishing trip to Fireside Lodge Were Stanley Ballard from Summerfield, FL and Paul Gathany from Cedarville, OH. First day they fished for Big toothy critters all day, and Stan caught a very large 40 inch Master Anglers Award Northern Pike. Second day was slow but both agreed it was a great day on the water. Third day was full of action as they caught a lot of nice size Northern Pike, and Stan caught a 30” Musky. They had a blast and their faces told the story. They were here for a short 3.5 days of fishing, and that’s exactly how it felt to Stan and Paul, but they enjoyed the time they had, and made another set of fishing memories together. Thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge.

Returning for their fifth trip to Fireside Lodge in six years were Bill and Pam Hochstetter from Rockford, IL. On day of arrival before supper within 2.5 hours they caught four Northern Pike, all in the 30-inch range including a hefty 34-inch Pike. They were all smiles at the dinning room table. First full day of fishing was slow catching a few Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass. Second day was very active catching well over 25 Smallmouth Bass between 15 to 16.5 inches and some Northern Pike over 30 inches. Third day Bill and Pam had a great day catching toothy critters and Smallmouth Bass, with Pam catching the fish of her life, landing a GIANT Muskie measuring 40 inches and looking like it was going to burst at the seams, because it was so girthy. Pam was all smiles as was Bill at the dinning room table while telling their fishing stories. Fourth day was a fun day catching Smallmouth Bass and Northern Pike, and they were very surprised at one of their catches. While using live leeches they both had a hit and were each fighting a Smallmouth Bass and after simultaneously bringing the fish to the boat they realized they both caught the same fish. That’s right the Smallmouth hit Pam’s leech then gobbled up Bill’s leech. What a great story and fishing memory. Fifth and final day they had a fun day fishing, but mostly relaxing. They caught some Northern Pike and a few Smallmouth Bass but spent a lot of their time enjoying a beautiful day in the great wilderness we provide. Bill and Pam had a fabulous trip and have all intentions on returning in 2008 after confirming some dates.

Harry and Susan Vilsack from Pittsburgh, PA returned to Fireside Lodge for their third visit and joining them for the second time was Harry’s sister and Brother-In-Law Larry and Betty Schiffenhaus from Essex Fells, NJ. Just for a few hours before supper Harry started the ball rolling with a nice 33-inch Northern Pike before Happy Hour, ad all were laughing and having fun in the dinning. First day was a very fun day as they caught a few fish and enjoyed a fabulous shore lunch. Second day was full of fast actions and fun as they all caught a lot of Northern Pike, and had many follows. Third day this group had a blast have a terrific shore lunch and laughed all day long and caught fish. Fourth day they caught some fish, both Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass, and discovered the magic of leeches for Smallmouth Bass. Betty did very well at this method catching some big Smallmouth, and Larry’s comment was that this method was too easy and made him feel like he was cheating. Betty obviously did not share the same feelings. All had loads of fun and thoroughly enjoyed there day on the water. Larry enjoys photography and our wilderness area gave him plenty of great opportunity to capture some wildlife and scenery pictures. Fifth and final day they all enjoyed another fabulous shore lunch and all caught some nice fish. These four had many good times and made many memories during their stay at Fireside Lodge. Before leaving they all mentioned they would return as a group in 2009 and Harry will be returning with a fishing friend in 2008.
Special Tribute:
I just wanted to take a moment to thank Harry and Susan’s son for his dedicated service to the people of the United States Of America in helping preserve the freedoms that all people in North America are blessed to have and enjoy.

Returning for their seventh trip to Fireside Lodge were Jeff and Dave Norkiewicz from Joliet and Tinley Park, IL. First day in search for BIG fish they caught plenty of smaller toothy critters and moved some BIG fish, but the follows were very quick and coming from far away and all over. Second day was similar to the first catching some Northern Pike and getting some Big follows from toothy critters. Third day they had a fast action day catching tons of Northern Pike and could not keep count. Fourth day these two had a ball having fast action and catching about 40 smaller Northern Pike and landing 13 big walleye ranging from 18.5 to 22.5 inches, most being 20 inches or over. Fifth and sixth days they caught a good number of nice Northern Pike, had their share of follows, with Dave landing a BIG 34 inch Musky having a very large girth. Both had a blast chasing the big toothy critters around all week so much that they reserved their dates for 2008 before leaving.

David Montovani and son-in-law Jeff Bartley from Indianapolis, IN were returning to fish at Fireside Lodge for their second time. Day of arrival after discussing locations on the map and purchasing a few lures they went fishing after supper for 30 minutes and Dave, on his third cast with the lure he purchased from me, caught a very fat 38 inch Northern Pike. First day fishing they were blanked most of the day while Muskie Hunting, however they recovered nicely catching 8 nice Northern Pike and Jeff caught a 34-inch Pike. Second day these two had a blast catching number of Northern Pike, and Dave caught his first ever Muskie landing a nice 30-inch solid fish. That night after supper and telling their stories in the dinning room they decided on dates and made their reservations for 2008. Third day they caught some nice fish, and Dave caught his second Muskie ever and the second Musky in consecutive days. Fourth and final day they enjoyed catching a mix of Northern Pike and Smallmouth and Dave ended up winning the friendly wager by catching more fish than Jeff. Both left sad but happy they came, and already looking forward to next year’s trip.

George and Glenda Marshall from Sparta, TN were fishing at Fireside Lodge for their 6th consecutive year. First night out on their day of arrival Glenda did great as she caught some big Smallmouth Bass and a 30-inch Northern Pike. First full day they had a great day catching about 30 Northern Pike. Second day they went Muskie fishing a no adjective could describe their day of fishing and catching they experienced. They caught some Smallmouth Bass and Glenda lost an absolute hog Smallie, had 50 + Musky follows seeing two GIANT Muskie, landed 7 Musky, 5 being over 30 inches with the largest measuring a BIG 36 inches, and caught one 37 inch fat Northern Pike. WOW!!!!! What a Fabulous, Terrific, Special, Day. Third day was another good day Musky fishing for George as he caught a nice 32 inch barred Muskie and a HUGE 41 inch very heavy Tiger Musky. Forth day was another Muskie day as right off the bat they had four follows and caught and Muskie in the 30-inch range, but things quickly shut down and it was hard to even get a follow the rest of the day. As any Musky fisher knows “That’s Musky Fishing”. Fifth and final day they caught a lot of Northern Pike, despite the fact they had to come back at 1:00 because Glenda was not feeling well, but still had enough time for George to catch another Tiger Muskie, They also got some great photos and a movie of three Otters swimming and playing on land. George landed 12 Muskie for the week with 10 being between 30 to 41 inches, and both had a fabulous stay as always. They were seen on their last evening taking pictures of the beautiful sunset while sitting at the end of the dock. George and Glenda made a bunch more memories, and we are glad they choose Fireside Lodge to do so.

Cary Ebert from St Louis Park, MN was fishing at Fireside Lodge for his first time and caught a 30” Northern Pike on his first night. Cary mentioned that he was surprised how heavy and the thickness of our Northern Pike. First full day of fishing he caught nothing but had a ball doing so as he learned the waters and enjoyed the wilderness. Second day Cary caught one nice Northern Pike and was enjoying his new experience and still trying to learn. Third and final day Cary did much better catching some Northern Pike one at 30 inches and another 33 inches. Both were very heavy and full of fight, and Cary said he was very happy to land these Pike. Being a beginner he learned a bunch and enjoyed learning in a great wilderness fishing area. His hope is to come back next year with some friends.

Back to fish at Fireside Lodge for their 7th time were Bob, Sheila, and Andrew McCrosky from Kalamazoo, MI. First day fishing was tougher than normal for Bob and Andy however they are using specific methods to catch big fish so numbers are not the goal. Second day was better with them catching some nice size Northern Pike, and having some follows from a few fish that you dream of catching. Third day Bob and Andy got into some good fish, catching Northern Pike in the 30-inch range and some very nice follows. Fourth and fifth day they caught a number of Nice Northern Pike ranging in the mid 30-inch area, and Bob and Andy were debating on the largest fish caught for the week. Even though they were the same length each thought theirs to be larger. After some discussion between Bob and I we voted that the tie goes to the elder, so Bob won hands down. I’m not sure Andy agreed with this decision. All enjoyed their stay and Bob and Andy will be returning in 2008 with two or four more friends. Thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge.

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

Hot Lures of The Week: White Bucktail, Hawg Buster, Blue Fox Spinner, Mepps Spinner, Gulp Leeches, Tube Jigs, Live Leeches

Catches of the Week: 41-inch Tiger Muskie, 40-Inch Musky, 40-inch Northern Pike, 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