Fireside Lodge Fishing News Report 8/28 to 9/4 2004

Fireside Lodge Fishing News Report 8/28 to 9/4 2004

Hello From Fireside Lodge in Northwest Ontario, Canada where the leaves are starting to show slight signs of fall, but we are still having some warm temperatures. In fact by the end of this week we had a few days in the mid 80 degree range.

Don Benkeser from Wayne, IL and brother Ken from Atlanta, Ga, were with good friends Mike Kamp from Chicago, IL and Mark Baitfinger from Lafayette, In. for their first fishing adventure to Fireside Lodge. This is a regular yearly 3 day fishing trip these fellows make. Their first day they had a blast catching Northern Pike, all did well and Mark had the best day as he landed a few bigger fish at 33.5 and 34 inches. The second day out each boat caught about 12 to 20 Smallmouth Bass and Mike lost a big Muskie as it hit his lure right at boatside. Their last day they caught over 20 Northern Pike and had a ball doing so. They had a successful yearly guy get together at Fireside Lodge.

Tom Glans and Kit Winterer from Beaufort, SC were making their first visit to Fireside Lodge. These two were here for four days a they had loads of fun fishing and having good conversation and laughs in the dinning room and lodge. The catching was sparse for Tom and Kit, however it never stopped their ambition, and certainly did not keep them from having fun. They even took a day a went golfing at the Sioux Lookout golf course, which is a very nice 9 hole course, and had plenty of laughs with the other guests. We enjoyed having them, and appreciate their patience perseverance, and for driving from South Carolina.

Randy Hickerson from Mission Viejo, Ca and good friend Loc Nguyen from Garden Grove, Ca were at Fireside Lodge for their first time. These two had a fabulous fishing trip and vacation, and Loc said so when signing our Fireside Lodge guest book. Being here for four days and never fishing the lake system before they did great. First day out they caught 7 Northern Pike and 11 Smallmouth Bass, and Loc was doing great on swim baits. Their second day out the caught 9 Northern Pike and 12 Smallmouth Bass, and Randy landed a 34 inch Pike, and Loc caught a 36 inch Northern Pike, and the Smallmouth they caught were all nice size. The third day they caught some Smallmouth and a few Northern Pike and Loc caught an 18 inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth Bass. Their fourth and final day was great Smallmouth Bass fishing, as they landed 23 very good size Smallmouth, and both caught Master Anglers Award Smallmouth, measuring 18 inches. When leaving they both expressed that they had a wonderful time and thought the fishing was great, and in our Guest Book Loc wrote "What a Fantastic Vacation, Thanks for Everything," and Randy wrote "Thanks for the Great Time." Well, we thank both of you for choosing Fireside Lodge as your fishing destination, and for traveling to see us all the way from Southern California.

Walt LaCasse from Wayzata, Mn with good friend Jim Jones from Tx were back to Fireside Lodge for their 8th time. Both were back for their second time this year for four days, and they were all smiles when they arrived. On their first day they caught 12 nice Northern Pike up to 33 inches, and the second day they caught Smallmouth Bass along with 4 Northern Pike. On their last day they had a bang up day having a blast catching and missing Northern Pike on subsurface spinner baits. The Pike would come out of the weeds and just hammer their spinners, and they ended up landing 15 and loosing even more. Jim had a great day and was smiles ear to ear in the dinning room. Thanks for your patronage, and they are already reserved for their spring trip in 2005. Looking forward to seeing both then.

Ron Whittineton from Belmont, NC and good friend Wayland Ritzman from Mogadore, Ohio were on their first fishing trip to Fireside Lodge. Ron use to live in Ohio and that's how him and Wayland became good friends and fishing partners. Their first day out did not bring them many fish, however Ron did catch a big 38 inch Northern Pike. Their highlight day fishing for Northern Pike had them landing 18 to 20 Pike. One day, after a tough morning fishing for toothy critters, they ended up having lunch with very regular guests of Fireside Lodge, Bill and Pam Hochstetter. After some fishing advise from Bill, and him giving them his leeches, Ron and Wayland ended up having a ball catching 14 nice size Smallmouth Bass by supper time. In fact Wayland even caught a Master Anglers Smallmouth Bass measuring at a big 18 inches. They thanked Bill, and this seemed to brighten their day. These are the wonderful things that happen at Fireside Lodge that often are not even mentioned. Thanks for coming Ron and Wayland, and hope to see both again one day.

Richard Colgin and good friend Cecil Andrews were back for their second trip to Fireside Lodge in 2004. They were her in May with two others for their first time, and loved it so much that they had to return again in the same year. As Cecil said the first time he came, Dick just twisted his arm so hard he just had to come to Fireside Lodge. These two had a great second fishing trip as they accounted for a BIG FISH a day, every day, except for their last. On their first day Cecil caught an absolutely GIANT 42 inch Northern Pike. Their second day Dick caught a 38 inch Northern Pike, and the third day while catching 12 Northern Pike and two Muskie, Cecil caught another Master Anglers Award fish, but this time it was a Smallmouth measuring 18.5 inches. The next day, Cecil still having the hot hand, landed a 38 inch Muskie. During their stay they caught many more Northern Pike and some Smallmouth, and had an exceptional day that stood out when they were catching Northern Pike near the waters surface, as they skimmed their specially made spinner baits across the weed patches. On neat thing Dick did, was each morning he would stand at his breakfast table and tell a joke, the joke of the day, and everyone enjoyed this few minutes of entertainment to the point that all missed the joke of the day when Dick left. Both left having a great fishing trip and loads of fun, and will return in May 2005.

A wonderful family from Cherry Valley, IL, Donald, Sandra, and Ryan Koets from Cherry Valley, IL were vacationing at Fireside Lodge for their first time. Here for a short three days, this was the first vacation for Sandra and Don in 30 years. For Ryan this was a special birthday gift, and we actually celebrated his 15th birthday in the dinning room on August 30th. This was very fun for all, and Ryan had a Huge Smile on his face. On their first day fishing they caught some Northern Pike and several Smallmouth, and Ryan caught his first Northern Pike ever, and it was a great fish measuring 36 inches. Way to go Ryan! Their next two days they caught some nice Northern Pike and Smallmouth, and the most important thing is that Don, Sandra, and Ryan had some great first experiences, and made some wonderful memories as a family together. Thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge to have your vacation, and make some of you special family memories together.

Bill and Pam Hochstetter from Rockford, IL were back at Fireside Lodge for their second consecutive year. These two had a lot of fun as they did last year. Their first evening fishing, on the day of their arrival, they caught a bunch of nice Smallmouth, and Bill caught a 34 inch Northern Pike. Great start. Their first full day they caught a lot of Smallmouth Bass, and the second day was a repeat of their first. The third day they spilt time between Smallmouth and toothy critters, and they did well again on the Smallmouth, and Bill caught a 36 inch Northern Pike, and Pam, who all this was fairly new to a year ago, landed her first Muskie ever, and was it ever a nice fish measuring 38 inches. Bill, was not only catching fish, and helping Pam catch fish, but he also helped another couple of guests,(see above story), get into a bunch of Smallmouth Bass. Their last couple of days they continued to catch Smallmouth Bass and Northern Pike, and left just having a fabulous time. In fact they even made their reservations for August of 2005. Great to have these two back and looking forward to seeing them again in 2005.

Hot Lures of the week: Spinner Baits, Swim Baits, Blue Fox Spinner, Leeches and Power Leeches

Master Anglers Awards Caught: 5 Smallmouth and 1- 42 inch Northern Pike

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