Fishing reports are written weekly throughout the open fishing season based on Fireside Lodge guests reports of their daily fishing experiences while fishing at Fireside Lodge
Hello from Fireside Lodge
in Northwest Ontario, Canada. Our fifth week and the weather continued to be
pleasant except for a few rain showers and thunderstorms, which moved through
quickly.
George and Nicky Stewart
from Windsor, Ontario were experiencing Fireside Lodge for their first time.
First day they caught fish and George landed a 31 and 28-inch Northern Pike
with Nicky catching a nice Smallmouth and lost a huge one. Second day they did
very well catching a good number of Smallmouth Bass & Northern Pike and all
good size. They also enjoyed a beautiful day we had, calm and 70 degrees.
Second and third days were just better and better catching more and bigger
fish. The excitement in this couple just vibrated through our lodge as they
described all the wonderful experiences they were enjoying that come with
fishing in our wonderful wilderness area. Fourth day they managed to catch a
few, even though Mayflies were in full swing, and it was even hard to tempt the
Bass with night crawlers, actually seeing the fish swim away after looking the
worm over. Fourth day was fabulous and they had the fish happening of their
lives as George hooked a GIANT Muskie that took him under and around the boat
with several strong runs then broke or bit right through the swivel on his
steel leader. Fifth day was very active as they caught 15 nice hard hitting
Pike trolling despite having their day cut short due to T-Storms. On their last
day the high winds hindered their fishing a forced them in by noon so they
choose to spend it enjoying the natural surrounding at Fireside Lodge to end a
terrific vacation.
Charlie Walton from
Hudson, OH was returning to Fireside Lodge for his third consecutive year, this
being a very special trip bringing his son Ben and two grandsons Benton 12, and
Nathan 8 years old. First day fishing brought some good Smallmouth and Pike
action with Benton & Nathan lading BIG Smallies on a fly rod, Nathan’s
measured a fat 15” and Benton landed an 18-inch Trophy Master Angles qualifier.
The mayflies were in hatch and Charlie was wise to match the hatch wit a
Hexaginia Nymph. Second day was very productive for Smallmouth Bass and this
day was Nathan’s day to go down in the record book as this young fellow at 8 years
of age landed a Trophy Master Anglers Award 18.375-inch Smallmouth. WOW!! Great
Catch Nathan. Third day was a fabulous day of other activities for Charlie and
grandson Nathan, but Ben and Benton did very well fishing catching Northern
Pike and Smallmouth, with Benton catching some great 15-16-inchers and Ben
caught a huge 18-inch Master Anglers Smallie. Great day fishing for father and
son. Fourth & final day was very windy which made fly fishing nearly
impossible for Charlie but Ben and the boys caught fish and had fun right up to
suppertime. Great memories were made between three generations and thanks for
choosing Fireside Lodge to spend your special family time.
Long time return guests
Ron and Mar Beth Huffman from West Dundee, IL arrived with smiles and happy to
be here. On the day of their arrival they started with a bang catching 13
Northern Pike and about 30 Smallmouth Bass with Ron catching 3 Master Anglers
Smallmouth over 18-inches. After spending their morning breaking over beaver
dams to fish Cedarbough Lake with not much fishing success they returned to
Little Vermilion and caught over 50 big Smallmouth. Ron caught two more over
18” and a 19-incher, & Mary Beth caught her first over 18-inches. Second
day was portage lake day where they caught over 40 Pike a one BIG walleye about
26-27-inches. Third was a day of rest, but after supper fishing for just 2.5
hours these two had fabulous Smallmouth Bass fishing as they caught over 40,
with most being larger, and Ron caught another three trophy Smallmouth over
18-inches. Fourth day had these to back on another portage for terrific Pike
fishing catching between 80-90. The last day was amazing as they caught 224
Northern Pike having lots of doubles along with 3 Smallmouth Bass Ron landing
two trophy bass at 19 & 20-inches. Fabulous finish to a fabulous trip.
Returning to Fireside
Lodge for their 7th year were Bill Aulenbach from Barberton, OH
father Bill Rasbach with son Kyle from Ft Myer, Fl & Boston, MA and
newcomer Joe DeMeis from Wellesley, MA. First day Bill A went to his favorite
bay, Portage Bay, where he and Joe got into some nice pike and Bill & Kyle
did great catching 31 Smallmouth. Second day had Bill A & Kyle catching
some quality Smallmouth 15 to 17” and Bill R and Joe had a fabulous day landing
over 50 Smallmouth on a very small all white in-line spinner. Third day had Joe
and Kyle catching over 49 Smallmouth and Joe caught his first Master Anglers
Smallie measuring 18.5”. The two Bill’s mixed it up catching 25 Smallmouth and
20 Northern Pike. Great day for all. Fifth day was Musky day for Bill A &
Joe, catching one and 5 very nice Northern Pike. Bill R and son Kyle caught 5
Muskie with the biggest one jumping out of the net breaking away one of the
hooks from their lure. Kyle also caught his first Master Anglers Award
Smallmouth at 18.25-inches after catching two just missing at 17 and 17.5” on
consecutive casts. Great day for all. Sixth day was terrific with the group
catching a total of 156 Northern Pike & Bill R with son Kyle accounted for
103. Their 7th and last day was relaxing soaking up the moments day
as they targeted large Smallmouth Bass. While catching plenty of Pike they
caught some great size Smallies with Bill A landing one 17.5-incher and Kyle
finished strong catching two monsters both at 19” & bursting at the seams.
All left having a great time and made their reservations for the same dates in
2011.
Walt LaCasse LaCasse from
Minnetonka, MN, John Hietala from Northfield, MN, Jim Jones from McKinney, TX,
Bruce Laybourne from Milford, OH and Mike Ahrens from Plymouth, MN returned for
their traditional annual group trip to Fireside Lodge. First evening brought
good Northern Pike action & Bruce caught a 35-incher. First day was a good
day as Jim caught his first ever 18-inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth and
Walt came up with the long fish of the day landing a nice 37-inch Pike. Second
day was good as they all caught fish, but John and Terry did the best catching
numerous Smallmouth and both Terry & John landed Master Anglers Bass at
18-18.25”. Third day was windy & after discussing strategy they set out to
catch some bigger Pike. Well, it worked as they caught 20+ big pike between 31
to 36-inches. Fourth & final day they went out with a BANG catching well
over 100 Pike just between Jim, Walt, & Terry and Walt caught the biggest
Smallmouth for the trip landing a monster 19.5-incher. GREAT day, GREAT trip,
and before departing they reserved the same dates for 2011.
Al & Pat Wortz from Bluffton,
SC were returning as a couple for their second consecutive year and for Al it
was one of many trips. Great first day with Smallmouth Bass catching them on
tubes with a slower presentation, competing with the May Fly hatch, and Pat had
a nice Musky follow on a tube jig. Second day was GREAT for both catching a lot
of Smallmouth, and even better for Pat as she caught the BIG BASS, and with
Pat’s finesse and expertise she managed to land a 32-34-inch Northern Pike with
a light spinning rod on 8lb test and no leader. GRRREAT catch Pat, and nice assist
AL. Third day had these two catching 7 Smallmouth & 7 Pike with Pat again
catching the larger fish. Their last but not least fifth day brought them all
the pike they could catch between 9:00AM and 1:00PM as they had a fabulous time
catching a total of 46. Al & Pat most importantly had a fabulous stay with
us just enjoying the atmosphere and having some great conversation with other
Fireside guests. They left saying, “We hope to be back next August”.
Return guest since 1998
Dan Mosier with son Nathan from Lincoln, NE were back to enjoy wilderness
fishing at Fireside Lodge. Few hours before supper on arrival day they caught 7
Smallmouth and 7 Pike including a big 35-incher. First full day both had a lot
of action catching 20 Smallmouth Bass and 30 Northern Pike. Second day had them
having a GREAT day catching many Northern Pike between 33 to 35-inches and Dan
came up with a Huge Master Anglers Award Pike measuring a stout 42”. Nathan was
a big contributing factor in Dan landing this fish as he was manning the cradle
and did an excellent job in netting this trophy fish for his dad. Their third
day was miraculous breaking all of their own personal records catching 213
Northern Pike and the fourth day was almost a repeat as they landed another 179
Northern Pike. Being exhausted from the previous two days, their final day
fishing approach was more casual, still catching some Smallmouth Bass and Pike,
but also soaking up the wilderness they so enjoy and would soon be leaving
behind. We will see Dan again, and his daughter Abbi in late August.
Ken Benkeser from Clover,
SC brother Don and his son Danny from Wayne, IL, Chris Cusik, Mike Kamp from
Bolingbrook & Chicago, IL and Tony Weber from Lafayette, IN returned to
Fireside Lodge after a furlough. First day was very windy and hard to manage
fishing spots but all caught some fish and enjoyed. Second day they made up for
lost time as the group caught over 100 Northern Pike and Mike landed an 18.5”
Master Anglers Smallmouth. Third day was a carbon copy as the group caught well
over 90 Pike and their fourth and final day was about half their best day. All
had a blast enjoying time with old friends and Don with son Danny made some
great father & son memories. Thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge.
Jerry Amer and Bill Calhoon
from Columbus, OH showed up with bells on for their 5th consecutive trip to
Fireside Lodge. Day of arrival after a few adjustments, they caught close to 50
Smallmouth & Pike. First full day had these guys catching 40 fish split
evenly between Smallmouth & Northern Pike. Second day they exploded
catching over 150 fish, a lot being Pike, and about 30 Smallmouth 5 being
trophy size between 18-19-inches and four of these monsters were caught on a
fly rod. In fact almost all of Bill’s fish and half of Jerry’s were caught
fly-fishing. Third day was Muskie day landing three and they caught well over
50 Smallmouth Bass. Fourth and final day was a great finish as they caught 61
Northern Pike and two more Master Anglers Award Smallmouth one being a Huge
19-incher. Before departing us Jerry told me he has been fishing in Canada
every year since he was 16 and none of his other fishing trips have ever been
able to compare to his trips to Fireside Lodge. Both left as they came, with
smiles & laughter, saying that they would be seeing us in 2011.
Make sure to go to our website listed below to see the 2010 Photos
For Fabulous Video, Wildlife Events, and Current Happenings go to our
Social Sites Below.
Hot Lures: Husky Jerk,
Live Night crawlers, #3 In-Line Spinner in All White, Tube Jig, Blue Fox
Spinner, Mepps Spinner, Williams Wobbler, X-Rap, Original Floating Rapala,
Thunder Bug
Flies of the week: Clouser
Perch Color, Hexaginia Nymph, Lefty Deceivers, Poppers
Catches of The Week:
Smallmouth Bass One 20”, Two 19.5”, One 19.25”, Three 19”, Twelve 18.5”, Two
18.25”, Seventeen 18” Northern Pike 42-inches two at 38-inches.
Fly Fishing Catches of the
week: Smallmouth Bass, 18.375-inch on Fly Rod, two 18.5-inch on fly rod, two
18-inch on Fly Rod, 18,
18” Master Anglers
Smallmouth Caught by Benton and Nathan while Fly Fishing.
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
Bass with Ron catching 3 Master Anglers
Smallmouth over 18-inches. After spending their morning breaking over beaver
dams to fish Cedarbough Lake with not much fishing success they returned to
Little Vermilion and caught over 50 big Smallmouth. Ron caught two more over
18” and a 19-incher, & Mary Beth caught her first over 18-inches. Second
day was portage lake day where they caught over 40 Pike a one BIG walleye about
26-27-inches. Third was a day of rest, but after supper fishing for just 2.5
hours these two had fabulous Smallmouth Bass fishing as they caught over 40,
with most being larger, and Ron caught another three trophy Smallmouth over
18-inches. Fourth day had these to back on another portage for terrific Pike
fishing catching between 80-90. The last day was amazing as they caught 224
Northern Pike having lots of doubles along with 3 Smallmouth Bass Ron landing
two trophy bass at 19 & 20-inches. Fabulous finish to a fabulous trip.
fabulous day landing
over 50 Smallmouth on a very small all white in-line spinner. Third day had Joe
and Kyle catching over 49 Smallmouth and Joe caught his first Master Anglers
Smallie measuring 18.5”. The two Bill’s mixed it up catching 25 Smallmouth and
20 Northern Pike. Great day for all. Fifth day was Musky day for Bill A &
Joe, catching one and 5 very nice Northern Pike. Bill R and son Kyle caught 5
Muskie with the biggest one jumping out of the net breaking away one of the
hooks from their lure. Kyle also caught his first Master Anglers Award
Smallmouth at 18.25-inches after catching two just missing at 17 and 17.5” on
consecutive casts. Great day for all. Sixth day was terrific with the group
catching a total of 156 Northern Pike & Bill R with son Kyle accounted for
103. Their 7th and last day was relaxing soaking up the moments day
as they targeted large Smallmouth Bass. While catching plenty of Pike they
caught some great size Smallies with Bill A landing one 17.5-incher and Kyle
finished strong catching two monsters both at 19” & bursting at the seams.
All left having a great time and made their reservations for the same dates in
2011.
action & Bruce caught a 35-incher. First day was a good
day as Jim caught his first ever 18-inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth and
Walt came up with the long fish of the day landing a nice 37-inch Pike. Second
day was good as they all caught fish, but John and Terry did the best catching
numerous Smallmouth and both Terry & John landed Master Anglers Bass at
18-18.25”. Third day was windy & after discussing strategy they set out to
catch some bigger Pike. Well, it worked as they caught 20+ big pike between 31
to 36-inches. Fourth & final day they went out with a BANG catching well
over 100 Pike just between Jim, Walt, & Terry and Walt caught the biggest
Smallmouth for the trip landing a monster 19.5-incher. GREAT day, GREAT trip,
and before departing they reserved the same dates for 2011.
Smallmouth, and even better for Pat as she caught the BIG BASS, and with
Pat’s finesse and expertise she managed to land a 32-34-inch Northern Pike with
a light spinning rod on 8lb test and no leader. GRRREAT catch Pat, and nice assist
AL. Third day had these two catching 7 Smallmouth & 7 Pike with Pat again
catching the larger fish. Their last but not least fifth day brought them all
the pike they could catch between 9:00AM and 1:00PM as they had a fabulous time
catching a total of 46. Al & Pat most importantly had a fabulous stay with
us just enjoying the atmosphere and having some great conversation with other
Fireside guests. They left saying, “We hope to be back next August”.
supper on arrival day they caught 7
Smallmouth and 7 Pike including a big 35-incher. First full day both had a lot
of action catching 20 Smallmouth Bass and 30 Northern Pike. Second day had them
having a GREAT day catching many Northern Pike between 33 to 35-inches and Dan
came up with a Huge Master Anglers Award Pike measuring a stout 42”. Nathan was
a big contributing factor in Dan landing this fish as he was manning the cradle
and did an excellent job in netting this trophy fish for his dad. Their third
day was miraculous breaking all of their own personal records catching 213
Northern Pike and the fourth day was almost a repeat as they landed another 179
Northern Pike. Being exhausted from the previous two days, their final day
fishing approach was more casual, still catching some Smallmouth Bass and Pike,
but also soaking up the wilderness they so enjoy and would soon be leaving
behind. We will see Dan again, and his daughter Abbi in late August. 
First day was very windy and hard to manage
fishing spots but all caught some fish and enjoyed. Second day they made up for
lost time as the group caught over 100 Northern Pike and Mike landed an 18.5”
Master Anglers Smallmouth. Third day was a carbon copy as the group caught well
over 90 Pike and their fourth and final day was about half their best day. All
had a blast enjoying time with old friends and Don with son Danny made some
great father & son memories. Thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge.
adjustments, they caught close to 50
Smallmouth & Pike. First full day had these guys catching 40 fish split
evenly between Smallmouth & Northern Pike. Second day they exploded
catching over 150 fish, a lot being Pike, and about 30 Smallmouth 5 being
trophy size between 18-19-inches and four of these monsters were caught on a
fly rod. In fact almost all of Bill’s fish and half of Jerry’s were caught
fly-fishing. Third day was Muskie day landing three and they caught well over
50 Smallmouth Bass. Fourth and final day was a great finish as they caught 61
Northern Pike and two more Master Anglers Award Smallmouth one being a Huge
19-incher. Before departing us Jerry told me he has been fishing in Canada
every year since he was 16 and none of his other fishing trips have ever been
able to compare to his trips to Fireside Lodge. Both left as they came, with
smiles & laughter, saying that they would be seeing us in 2011. 
