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. The week started with beautiful weather
that continued throughout the week. We had some severe thunderstorm watches at
the weeks beginning with most missing us. Then a cold front came through with
Thursday�??s high barley reaching 68 degrees. Probably sounds great to most
reading this fishing report as we have heard it�??s been very hot and humid south
of the border.
Returning to Fireside
Lodge for their fourth consecutive year were Don, Audrey, and Matt Holesinger
from Fulton and Roscoe, IL. First evening they got right to it catching
Smallmouth with Don setting the pace landing a Smallmouth measuring 17.5�?� on
Matt�??s very rusty old measuring tape. First full day of fishing they caught
some nice size Smallmouth and Audrey caught an 18�?� Master Anglers Award Trophy.
Second day was fabulous as they caught 81 Smallmouth and were landing 15 to
16-inchers all day long, with Audrey again coming up with the largest fish of
the day being a 17.5�?� Smallie. Third day was even better as they landed 61
Smallmouth with most being huge including 4 Master Anglers Award Trophy
Smallmouth over 18-inches. Fourth and final day was a Northern Pike day as they
caught 37 nice size Pike and 4 Smallmouth Bass with one Smallmouth being
another Master Anglers Award fish making their total Trophy Bass catches six.
Great finish to another great family fishing trip to Fireside Lodge.
Returning to Fireside
Lodge was Dave Lilja with his wife Margaret from Woodbury, MN and friends Mike
& Patricia Rose from Roseville, MN. Dave & Mike got an early start
before breakfast with surface action catching 8 Smallmouth Bass. The rest of
the day all caught plenty of fish and Pat lost a big fat Pike, and tried to lay
blame on the net man Mike. All fishers find excuses, don�??t we? Second day was
wonderful as Mike and Dave again had surface action in the morning and �??life is
good�?� for Mike when he catches fish. All caught a lot of fish throughout the
day and Midge landed her personal best Pike being a chunky 33-incher. Third day
was another wonderful day for this group as they caught 17 Pike in one boat,
over 20 in the other boat, and Midge came up with a HUGE 17.5�?� Smallmouth Bass.
Also Mike hit a milestone landing his very first Muskie ever. Fourth day was
another milestone day as it was Midge�??s turn at catching her first ever Musky
landing a beauty measuring 35-inches. All the others caught fish and had a
fabulous day. Fifth and final day was fabulous, as both couples enjoyed it in a
different way. Mike & Pat choose to enjoy the Boreal Forest Wilderness on
land with Dave and Midge enjoying it out on the lake catching fish, but also
devoted half day to enjoying a shore lunch over and open fire and taking advantage
of the beautiful weather having an outdoor nap after eating. Sounds GREAT,
doesn�??t it? Both couples left having a fabulous vacation with us at Fireside
Lodge and hope to return one day.
Don and Gloria Sears from
Irving, TX were at Fireside Lodge by referral from a 20-year guest of Fireside
Lodge, Frank Hazzard. First day was spent exploring the lower end of Little
Vermilion Lake catching 6 Smallmouth and Gloria getting a big surprise when a
big toothy critter rolled over her lure at boat side. Second day was terrific
ending up at Twin Falls as they were learning the upper arm catching 9
Smallmouth and Gloria caught her first Musky ever. They enjoyed the natural
wonder of the falls while viewing an eagle fishing. Third day these two had a
slower day but Gloria caught a very big Smallmouth measuring 17.5-inches and
they enjoyed the day watching wildlife and the wonders of the Boreal Forest.
Fourth day was another day spent up by Twin Falls area and they did well
catching Smallmouth Bass a this time Don caught the larger Bass of the day
landing a 17.5�?� Smallie on a Road Runner, plus he caught his first Northern
Pike ever. Fifth day had them choosing not to fight the wind and enjoy indoor
activities such as board games, a delightful nap, and a walk in the wilderness.
Sixth day had these to adventuring on a portage lake and had a fabulous time
doing so. They had a great day catching Smallmouth landing 19, mostly big, and
Gloria got the prize landing an 18-inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth.
Seventh day was their best day yet as they traveled through a wilderness creek
area to fish a back lake catching 26 fish, 25 Pike and 1 Smallmouth. Imagine
being Don and never catching a Northern Pike in his life, then having a day
that they catch 25 in one day. WOW!!! Is all that can describe this day. The
next several days these two caught fish, really soaked up the wilderness of the
Boreal Forest that was surrounding them, had a wonderful shore lunch on their
last day. When visiting with Don & Gloria at their dinning room table they
expressed on how they had a terrific CWE, Canadian Wilderness Experience, and
they were very grateful for all they had seen and done while they stayed with
us at Fireside Lodge.
George Meravi, Rich
Granahan, with father and son Brian & Matt Dawson from Lake Barrington,
& Lake Zurich, IL. were at Fireside Lodge for their first time. First day
had George & Rich catching 15 Pike and some Smallmouth, both landing
monsters Rich�??s at 18�?� & George�??s at 19�?�. Brian & Matt also caught a
bunch of Smallmouth & Northern with Matt having a very good day. Second day
had George & Rich having a fabulous Musky day catching 4, having many
follows and Rich landed a beauty at 38-inches, plus they caught some great
Smallmouth Bass. Third day was George and Matt�??s day as they had a ball
catching many nice Smallmouth Bass on the Wacky Worm Technique. On this evening
while Brian and Matt were in the lodge we got into a discussion about twitching
suspending lures and blue fox spinners. After discussing the various techniques
in using these lures we all got very excited and a plan was enacted for their
fourth and final day. Well, they were all smiles at the supper table that night
as they caught many Northern Pike on these lures using the techniques we
discussed the night before. George and Rich also had a great day Musky fishing
and Muskie catching as George landed one and lost one, and Rich caught two and
lost one. They also caught a lot of Smallmouth and finished on a high note. All
left making fabulous fishing memories.
Fourth time returning to
Fireside Lodge were good friends Pat Hobson and Larry Hinshaw from Elmwood, IN
& Blue Grass, IA. DOA these two picked up where the left off last year
catching some good size Smallies while surface fishing on their new favorite lure
the �??Chug Bug�?�. Next day was more of the same as they landed over 30 Smallmouth
Bass plus two Muskie using the same technique, and both caught trophies Pat�??s
being 18�?� and Larry�??s a HUGE 19.25-inches. Second day was one of those humbling
days all fishers have, but they still caught 10-12 Smallmouth. Third day had
these guys changing to white twister tails and caught over 20 nice Smallmouth
Bass. Fourth day was a Pike fishing day all day long, and that�??s what they
caught having a ball lading many Pike, and Larry again caught a small Muskie,
which with the other two he caught we figure he now has about 65-inches of
Musky. Fifth day had them Smallmouth fishing, and it was all Larry as he caught
most of the fish and landed two more Master Anglers Award Smallmouth at 19 and
18-inches. Sixth and final day they had a blast catching more Smallmouth, and
after supper in the final hour Larry came up with the biggest fish of the trip
landing a GIANT Trophy Master Anglers Award Smallmouth Bass measuring
20-inches. WOW!!!! What a fabulous catch and what a way to finish a fishing
trip.
John Wasko from Jersey
City, NJ returned to Fireside Lodge for his second year in a row along with
good friend Davey Dioquino from Tamiment, PA. First day had these two catching
a lot of Pike up to 29-inches. Second day was a committed Muskie day, which got
them a lot of Musky, follows but could not get a hook up. That�??s Muskie
Fishing!!! Third day was a lot of Pike action along with landing 29 of these
great fighters and John received his first ever Master Anglers Award as he
landed a HUGE 18�?� Smallmouth Bass. GRRRRRREAT catch John. Fourth day was back
to the Musky drawing board and they again had many follows. Before leaving that
morning we discussed the benefit of sizing way down when Musky are followings
lures. Well, John did this and ended up catching his first ever Musky on a #4
in-line spinner. Also, they caught Smallmouth Bass and Davey was very pleased
as he caught 4 nice Smallies on his fly rod. Fifth day had these two fishing for
Northern Pike catching a lot, and having consistent action catching well over
30. Sixth and final day was spent trying to catch another Muskie and they
caught some Pike along the way, and Davey caught another Musky. Both of these
fellows had a super time fishing with us and they were very sad to leave, but
made some great memories fishing in this wonderful wilderness area.
The Grand Blanc, Michigan
group consisting of Greg Benton, John McDounough, Randy Genord and his two sons
18-year old Dane and 11-year old Ryan returned to Fireside Lodge for their
sixth year. On their DOA they did fabulous with Greg and John catching a lot of
good size Pike and John had a BIG fish break him off. Randy and his boys it was
more of the same except Randy came up with two BIG fish. The first was a huge
38�?� Northern Pike, and the second was the prize being a GIANT 45�?� Muskie. As
you can see they got great pictures of both. First full day was good day
catching some average size toothy critters but the big fish were elusive. Second
day was BIG FISH day for Greg and John as Greg landed a big 40�?� Master Anglers
Award Northern Pike in the afternoon and another 40-incher after supper, and
John caught a Monster 39.5-inch Muskie with massive girth. Two Master Anglers
Award Trophy Pike in one day. WOW!!!! Ryan also had a very good day catching a
28 and 35-inch Pike and Dane caught some in the 30-inch range. Third day was
Randy, Dane, and Ryan�??s last as their trip got cut short because of a Hockey
commitment Dane had, but it finished with them catching some nice Northern Pike
and enjoying every last minute on the water. Greg and John had a Great Northern
Pike day as they caught a lot of fish between 30 to 36-inches and Greg caught a
36-inch Muskie. Fifth and final day was a little slower as it was cold front
conditions and a blue bird sky, however they discovered some new fishing areas
to be explored more in 2011. John & Greg did catch some Pike and John came
up with a Master Anglers Award Northern Pike just over 40-inches. WOW, that makes
three over 40-inch Pike in 5 days. Both had a fabulous trip, and there�??s no
doubt that plans for next years fishing spots were being discussed on their
ride home.
Return Guests Bill Foster
Sr, and sons Bill Jr, Brian, and Grandson Jack from Middletown, DE Billings, MT
and Midlothian, VA arrived with smiles and great anticipation. First day was a
slow start in the morning however Brian went to work on figuring out a pattern,
and all ended up catching a bunch of nice Smallmouth Bass many being 16 to 17.5�?�.
Brian�??s technique was a pumpkin tube jig with an eighth ounce jig keeping it
just above the weeds. Second day had these guys really finding the Pike
catching many, and a lot of good heavy fish. The prize fish of the day went to
Brian as he caught a nice 39-inch Musky, a great first ever Musky. Third day
had Bill Sr & Bill Jr right into the Pike again catching over 25 in a half
day and Bill Sr landed his second Muskie ever, first was on his last trip with
us, then a T-storm came in a chased them back towards the lodge. Brian and Jack
also had a very productive day catching Smallmouth Bass and Northern Pike.
Fourth day Brian & Jack caught many Smallmouth Bass with Bill Sr & Bill
Jr catching 25 fish, mostly Pike. Sixth and final day was all Bill Jr and Jack
as they caught over 50 fish, all being Northern Pike except for Jack landing
one HUGE Master Anglers Award Trophy Smallmouth Bass measuring 18-inches. All
had a great family fishing trip and made wonderful family memories together.
First time guests to Fireside
Lodge were Peter Lazzara from Chicago, IL, Curt Danekas from Palatine, IL and
father & sons Mark, Andrew, and Dennis Thurow from Naperville, IL. On their
DOA all caught some fish before suppertime, the Thurow clan landing 10
Smallmouth between 15 to 17.5�?� and Andrew commented on how fat the Smallies
were. First full day Mark, Andrew, and Dennis had a good day discovering the
value of a Blue Fox spinner catching some nice size Pike using this lure until
they lost both spinners. Good thing for the Lodge Tackle Shop, or �??Hope Shop�?�
as I call it. Pete and Curt had a fabulous day catching about 40 Northern Pike
and as the day went on the fish got bigger and bigger landing some fish up to
35-inches. Second day in one word was �??FABULOUS�?�. All came back tried with sore
arms and hands as one boat caught over 70 Northern Pike and the other over 40.
Mark told me he loves the color pink, as that was the color of a Blue Fox
Spinner I sold him, and it was totally worn out by the end of the day. Andrew
also caught an 18�?� Master Anglers Award Smallmouth and congrats to Andrew.
Third day they spent a half day catching Smallmouth, having some success with
Pete catching an 18-inch Master Anglers Award Smallie, and the second half day
caught 15-20 Pike per boat. Fourth and final day was a grand finish as they
caught well over 100 Northern Pike between them, Mark caught a Master Anglers
Award 18.5-inch Smallmouth and Andrew came up with a big 34-inch Musky, his
first ever. Wow, what a great day fishing and catching. Before leaving they
were all talking with me about getting their dates together for 2011. We hope
to see them back.
Tom, son Joel Nayder with
sister/aunt Leah Bezinfrom Orland
Park, Chicago, & Berwyn, IL returned to Fireside Lodge for their 11th
consecutive year. First day was great as they caught 40-plus fish and it was a
nice mix between Smallmouth Bass and Northern Pike. According to sister Leah
Tom was the top dog. Second day all caught some Northern Pike & Smallmouth.
Third day was gangbusters as Joel alone caught 35+ Northern Pike using his
favorite #4 Blue Fox Spinner. Tom and Leah spent almost all day fly-fishing and
did very well catching over 20 each, and also lost their far share, Leah landed
the two only Smallmouth of the day. Fourth day was pledged to do something
different that the season calls for, and that something was fishing for
Smallmouth in the weedy areas with wacky worms. So after some discussion about
fishing areas at the tackle shop and a purchase of wacky worms these three were
off to test their skills at a new technique. When I walked up to their table at
suppertime I found Tom eating his Raspberry Cobbler and Vanilla ice cream while
studying a Little Vermilion Lake map. It ended up the technique new to Tom,
Joel, and Leah worked as they caught about 30 Smallmouth Bass, Tom catching 18
himself including an 18.5�?� Master Anglers Award Smallie along with many others
in the 15 to 17-inch range. To say the least they were very excited about their
day, and after a quick purchase of more Wacky worms they were off after supper
to try it again. Fifth and final day they went Wacky again and ended up
catching a bunch more Smallmouth, mostly big, and included in the catch was
each landing a Master Anglers Award Smallmouth between 18 to 18.5-inches. All
left learning a new style of fishing and will certainly be planning strategy
between now and their next fishing trip.
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