Fireside Lodge Fishing Report 6/26 to 7/3 2004

Fireside Lodge Fishing News Report 6/26 to 7/3 2004

Hello from Fireside Lodge in Northwest Ontario. Finally we got some seasonal weather, feeling a little more like summer, but still slightly below normal in temperatures. A group headed by Ewell Scott, from Moorhead, Ky. was here for their third consecutive year to celebrate Ewell's father, Earl's 91st Birthday. Along for this celebration also from Moorhead, Ky were Ed and Ann Scott, Troy Burchett, Ken and Jasen Smith, Phillip Tackett and from Lexington, Ky came Adam Scott and Robert Woods. Earl was the star in the dinning room and we all sang happy birthday to him, as he sat with a big smile and tears in his eyes, to be so blessed to have his family and friends around him for such a special birthday. This remarkable man took Ann out fishing one day and they had a fabulous day catching 33 Smallmouth Bass. He not only guided Ann all day, but also took all her fish off the hook. They had a great fishing day and their smiles at the dinning room table told the whole story. Some other highlights were Troy and Jasen catching 26 Northern Pike, Adam and Troy catching 25 Northern Pike and 6 Smallmouth Bass, with Troy catching a Master Anglers Award Smallmouth at 18.75 inches, Ewell and Earl landing 26 Smallmouth Bass, and Adam and Ken one day landed 11 toothy critters and lost at least 25. So at 91 years old Earl guided Ann and him to the most number of fish caught in one day in any one boat during this groups four day stay. Great trip for all and another set of wonderful memories made at Fireside Lodge.

Brothers Greg, Doug, and Regis Benton with sons John, Kyle, and Marty and his son Joe Boisture, from Grand Blanc, Mi were all here for their first experience at Fireside Lodge. They came here with Muskie on their mind, and they did catch some nice Muskie. On the second day Greg landed a HUGE 46 incher, and Kyle caught his first Muskie, a beauty at 38 inches. On another day Greg had the hot hand landing 6 Muskie, and also catching 6 Northern Pike while fishing for Muskie. Also, on this same day Doug landed a nice Muskie, which means this group caught 7 Muskie in one day! Fabulous Muskie Fishing. Marty and Joe also took advantage of our great Smallmouth fishing catching a lot of Smallmouth with surface baits, several times catching 17 to 20 big Smallmouth Bass up to 17.5 inches. This family group had a great time and intends on making their reservations for 2005 very soon.

Father Jim Ickes, from Elyria, Oh., and son Steven from Bloomfield, In. came to Fireside Lodge for their first time. This was a special trip for these two as Steven is being sent to Afganastain and is already there as I write this fishing report. They had a wonderful trip and did exactly what they wanted to, spend time together while fishing and catching some fish. While here they caught some nice size Northern Pike, some Smallmouth Bass, and each caught their first Muskie, with Steven landing a big 38 inch Muskie. Catching these fish was fun, but the important catch on this trip was time spent together, and memories made, by a father and son. I want to take time to thank Steven and all other men and women in the US arm forces for their courageous and dedicated service to the people of the United States of America, and for putting their lives on the line for the pursuit of freedom which we all enjoy and benefit from today. Thank you and our prayers are with you all.

Three couples and very close friends Don & Virginia Wheelock from Overland Park, Ks, Bob and Judith Burton and Foster and Syona Woodruff from Lincoln Ne were here at Fireside Lodge to have fun, fish, and relive years gone by, and they accomplished all of the above. Both Don and Bob remember Fireside Lodge from being here in the early 1940's, when it was know as Mike Ament's Fishing Lodge. Well, as soon as I met them I knew that having fun was easy, and they had a ball, always laughing and enjoying themselves with the dinning room staff at supper time. They caught fish and had a very active second day with Foster doing the best catching a lot of Northern Pike. Their three days went by quick, and the third day found the 6 of them spending some time at Twin Falls which is a beautiful natural falls on Little Vermilion Lake. Also Don hooked and caught a big Muskie on their final day to finish with a high note on fishing. It was great to see these 6 enjoy each others company, while having fun with the sport of fishing. Hope to see all again someday.

Five consecutive year repeat guests of Ed Burns, Rick Jameson, Todd Smith, and Gary Hanna all from Texas had a lot of fun and caught a number of good fish. Gary Hanna was the only first timer, and he ended up catching two Master Anglers Awards fish, one a Smallmouth Bass at 18" and the other was a HUGE Northern Pike measuring 42 inches. Todd also caught two Master Anglers Smallmouth at 18" and 18.5 ", and Rick caught one right at 18 inches. They caught plenty of fish throughout their 5 days, but said they averaged smaller than years past, but still caught 5 Master Anglers Award fish. Another highlight was when Todd and Gary were fishing for Muskie and getting a lot of follows and a classic thunderstorm with hail came through, and immediately after the storm they caught 4 Muskie. Just like you read about in the Muskie Magazines. They all had fun and hope to see all in 2005.

Family of Ted, Luba and son Ben Allen from Blaine, Mn. were at Fireside Lodge for their first time. Here for three days they had fun the first day getting to know the lake and catching a few fish. The second day they experienced great fishing action on Northern Pike, and at 9 years old Ben landed his first Muskie. WOW could you imagine catching your first Muskie at 9 years old. GREAT CATCH BEN!!! Their last day was full of fishing fun catching a lot of Northern Pike during the day, and some on surface baits, with Ben landing a 15lber, and in the evening had an absolute ball catching Smallmouth Bass, and having many surface strikes that missed. They had a great first experience at Fireside Lodge and hope to return one day. Thanks for making Fireside Lodge part of your family memories.

Dan Landbo from South Elgin, IL, and Dan Szkola from Sugar Grove, IL were back to Fireside Lodge for their third time. Always trying to learn about fishing you will always find these two reading fishing magazines, while at he dinning room table, or sitting in the lodge. Well, it paid off for them as they had some super fishing, as on their first day they caught 19 Northern Pike with a lot in the low 30 inch range, one at 35 inches and a nice Smallie. Their second day they caught numbers, as they landed 106 Northern Pike, no monsters but great action and fun on light equipment. On another day they caught 40 Northern Pike with half being very good size, and Dan came up with a BIG BOY landing a 41.5 inch, very fat, Tiger Muskie. Anyone coming up this season can view this monster along with many other catches of 2004 on our digital viewing system. This system allows us to show any of our guests digital pictures the same day they catch their fish. So bring your digital cameras when fishing at Fireside Lodge, so we can show, and you can view, your catch to all in the lodge. Don and Dan went home with more knowledge and the satisfaction of using this knowledge to catch fish. They already made their reservations for 2005, and have 352 days to study up for next year.

Many time return guests, father and son John and Mike Lutz from New Lisbon, NJ, were back to fish for toothy critters. Here is a run down on their catches. Day one 36 Northern Pike and 3 Muskie, day two 21 Northern Pike, day three 32 Northern Pike, 3 Muskie and 1 Smallmouth, day four 25 Northern Pike, day five 12 Northern Pike and a GIANT 20 inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth Bass, and their final day they had their best day catching 42 Northern Pike with most between 28 and 32 inches, and caught two 34 inchers. What a great catching, fishing trip for these two. As always they enjoyed the atmosphere, and wilderness we have to offer, which is not found in many places any longer. They are already planning their return in 2005.

Wayne Zalokar from Wheaton, IL, was the main organizer for a fly fishing trip from the Dupage Rivers Fly Tyers "DRiFT" club. Along with Wayne came Harry Blessing from Lombard, IL, James Velguth from Downers Grove, IL, Stephen Culen from Chicago, IL, Dino Leone from Taylor Ridge, IL and Randy Feravich from Cedar Springs, Mi. The first day Wayne and Jim got the kinks out and caught 10 Northern Pike on the Fly, and Wayne caught a 18 inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth. The next day these two also caught some Northern Pike and both caught Master Angler Award Smallmouth, with Jim's being a GIANT at 19.5 inches, and Wayne caught a 18.5 incher. The othesr were also catching some Northern Pike and Smallmouth these first two days. The third day they targeted Smallmouth and all did very well catching 20 to 40 Smallmouth Bass per boat on the fly. Great day of fly fishing. The fourth and final day Wayne and Jim finished strong with toothy critters, catching 30 Northern Pike between 22 to 36 inches, and all but one were caught on a fly rod. You can view these pictures at our lodge, as they took a lot of digital pictures. Thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge and hope we can make this an annual trip with the DRiFT fly fishers.

Father and son Dave and Marc MacFarland form Pendleton and Muncie, In were back to Fireside Lodge for their second consecutive year. They had a great fishing trip. Their first several days they focused on Northern Pike doing well, and Marc also caught his first Muskie. They caught some Pike in the mid 30 inch range which are dandies in our lake system, because they have a lot of girth. Dave ended up catching the largest at 36 inches. The two days they spent Smallmouth fishing were very productive catching 27 Smallmouth up to 17.5 inches, and on their last day caught 52 Smallmouth with most being 16 to 17 inches, and a few 17.5 inchers. That's GRRRRREAT Smallmouth Bass fishing. They went home very pleased, and have already made their reservation for 2005.

For their first time Mick Seidel from Portland, OR, brought his sons Ben and Andy, and brother Tom Seidel from Troy, Mi brought his son Dan to Fireside Lodge. They had a lot of fun on their 4/3 day trip, not only fishing but just having fun as a family. One day while Mick and his sons caught over 30 Northern Pike they found these 50 ft cliffs over deep water and both Ben and Andy were jumping off these cliffs into the water. Ben and Andy were often found in the lodge playing a board games, and just enjoying the Lodge. The last day these three had a blast catching 29 Smallmouth Bass. Tom and Dan in their three days also caught some nice Northern Pike, and both caught their first Muskie, and Tom, on their last evening caught a trophy Muskie and is sending the picture to us so we can post it on our website and show it on our viewer in the Lodge for all to see. This group had a great family trip, and is planning for 2005's return.

Kurt and Diane Hanies, from Avon, In. were back to Fireside Lodge for their second trip in three years. Diane had been labeled Muskie Master the last time here as she landed 27 of these elusive freshwater creatures in just 6 days. We all knew this would be a hard record to match. They caught a total of 120 toothy critters with 8 being Muskie. That's more than 1 Muskie a day, and for the two years it averages to almost three Muskie landed per day. That's a great average in Muskie fishing. Along with the catches came 10 times as many follows, along with some that were hooked and lost. They also caught some good size Northern Pike in the mid to upper 30 inch range. Long fish is what they came for, and is what they caught. They also had a lot of fun meeting with other guests, and enjoying the great wilderness setting we are situated within. They rebooked the same week for 2005 before leaving, and are already planning their strategy to catch the most UN-catchable of fresh water fish. The Muskie.

First timers TJ (Terry) Buboltz from Horace, ND and Karen Malone from Detroit Lakes, MN arrived very excited with the thought of pursuing Muskie, Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass, and they did very well catching all three species. First day ever on our lake system, and they caught 16 Northern Pike and Karen caught her first Muskie. The evening before we were talking about catching Muskie and Karen mentioned she had never caught one. Well, I went out on a limb and said she would catch her first, and she did the very first day. She went on to catch 3 Muskie in 4 days. They also had a ton of follows, and some very large fish. Another day found them catching 3 Muskie and 40 Smallmouth Bass with a lot of the bass 15 to 17 inches. On their last day they landed 30+ Northern Pike, with a lot over 30 Inches, and Karen not only caught another Muskie but also landed the largest Northern Pike at 35 inches. They had a wonderful time and were very sad to leave. Great having you both at Fireside Lodge.

David Warner was making his fourth trip to Fireside Lodge from Foxborough, Ma, this time with his father-in-law John Sloan from Marlbough, Ma. Well, first day on the water was their best as they caught a number of Northern Pike, Dave said about 25 to 27. The rest of the days they caught some fish, and for their last two days were hampered by a cold front which moved in on their 2nd to the last day. Dave brought up a new line of lures which he is representing called Salmo Lures. Very nice product, being a little higher quality and really shows through in the Northern Pike replication. Color and shape is very authentic. He left a few with me to try out, and I am sure you will see these in my tackle shop in the very near future. Dave, after getting home emailed me and said he missed not being here with his two sons Dave and Mike, as they are his good luck charms. He is hoping to return again in 2005 with his boys.

Richard, and 11 year old son Ricky, Stepien from Mason, Oh were at Fireside Lodge by referral, and came with grandpa Charles Wilson, from Buffalo, NY. First time at Fireside Lodge, and only three days here, was no time to waist. Their first day they had a ball catching Northern Pike and getting a lot of surface action from Northern Pike. It was the best action any had ever experienced, and all three were really excited at the supper table the first evening. The second day they caught well over 30 Smallmouth Bass, and landed a lot of bigger fish, and after grandpa hooked a big Smallmouth Ricky, at 11 years old, was able to catch an 18.5 inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth Bass. What a team effort by Grandpa and Grandson. Tell me this is not a GREAT memory for Grandpa Charlie and Grandson Ricky, and father Rick. That is the biggest catch of all,"The Memory." On their last day They caught over 30 Northern Pike, and Charlie hooked and landed and MONSTER 20 inch Master Anglers Smallmouth Bass. Even though Ricky caught up on sleep between fishing spots, he was wide awake when it came to fishing, as he outfished both Dad and Grandpa. Part of the reason for his ability to outfish the others was his flexibility, as when Northern Pike fishing he was using a small surface bait called a Tiny Torpedo. Well, Grandpa said he would have been laughed out of camp by his old fishing buddies, but it produced so well for Ricky, that all Grandpa could do is laugh and learn. This was a wonderful three generations fishing trip, full of fun and lasting memories. They have all intentions of returning to Fireside Lodge in the near future.

Hot Lures of the week: Tube (Black with red flake), Mepps spinner, Spinner Bait, Swim Bait

Hot Fly: Receding Hare Worm caught 19.5 inch Smallmouth and a lot of Northern Pike

Master Angler Awards Caught: 11 Smallmouth Bass, biggest 2 at 20 inches, and 1 Northern Pike at 42 inches.

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