Posts: 8
Location: Sioux Lookout, ON | Hello From Fireside Lodge in Northwest Ontario. Our weather has been
starting to cool down a little, and become a little more variable,
which is typical for the last week of August. Seems as though we were
just a hustling around trying to get open for the season, and here it
is the end of August and we only have two more weeks left until we
conclude our season.
Dave Sphar from Canasburg, Pa with good friends and brothers John and
Mike DiSalle from McMurray, Pa and Rochester, NY were guests of
Fireside Lodge for their first time. Here for a short three days we
hardly saw them as they were one the water all the time. They were
after the long toothy critters, and they did well catching them. First
day ever fishing here and they landed 20 Northern Pike and said they
missed 20 more. Second day they caught over 60 Northern Pike, and on
their last day they caught over 25 Northern Pike. They left saying it
was by far their best fishing ever, and hope to return one day soon.
Here for their second consecutive year were good friends Brian Karnatz
and Brent Franck from Mt Prospect, IL. These two were back for the
Muskie, as last year they caught 8 in six days. This year the Muskie
were a little more elusive as the landed three, and lost a few others.
Brent caught a Northern Pike of a lifetime as he landed a Master
Anglers Award Northern Pike measuring 45 inches. WOW, what a monster.
They had a great day Northern Pike fishing catching over 40 in one
day. They also caught a lot of Smallmouth during their stay, and Brent
caught an 18 inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth. They had a great
second fishing trip at Fireside Lodge and said they will be back in
2005.
Brothers Bob and Walt Arms from Shelby and McArthur Ohio were fishing
at Fireside Lodge for their first time. On their day of arrival these
two got right down to it and caught over a dozen nice Smallmouth
before supper time. During the rest of their four days they caught
plenty of Smallmouth have two especially goods days, and they picked
up a Northern Pike here and there catching some heavy Pike up to 34
inches, and had several 33-34 inches. I had some nice chats with Walt,
and turns out he had be a fish and wildlife enforcement officer with
the state of Idaho. He told me a few interesting stories, as these
fellows usually could write a book of their experiences. Bob and Walt
have been on many fishing trips over the years and we feel privileged
to be part of their fishing adventures and fishing memories.
Couples Ron & Lisa Vincent from Sherrils Ford, NC and Steve and Joanna
from New London, NC were back to Fireside Lodge to have the thrill of
fishing, enjoying the wilderness, and having fun as friends. This was
Ron's second visit in the same month, as he was with his son and
another friend and his son in the first week of August. These four had
a fabulous four days fishing, and just having fun. Joanna had never
been fishing before and on the first day out they caught a few fish
and Joanna caught her first Smallmouth Bass ever. The second day out
they did not set any records, but did catch some nice Smallmouth 16 to
18 inches and Lisa had a Giant Northern Pike on that she just could
not manage to land. They said it was definitely in the mid 40 inch
range and possibly bigger. The third day was rainy and cold so Lisa
and Joanna stayed back and had a town day, and Ron and Steve had a
guys day fishing. The all had a great day, and Ron and Steve caught 61
fish landing 35 Northern Pike, 25 Smallmouth, and Steve caught the
money fish which was a 35.5 inch Muskie. They also found a lot of
Northern Pike in a bay new to them, and specially named it "OH YA
BAY." Their last day was a beautiful day, and all four had a great
fishing day. Steve and Joanna had a break through day for Joanna as
she caught 9 Northern Pike and her first Muskie ever, it being a 31.5
inch Tiger Muskie and Steve also landed a 33.5 inch Muskie. When
getting out of the boat at the dock Joanna yelled to me that she was
hooked, and wanted to return to Fireside Lodge. The excitement in her
voice could be heard everywhere, which tells me that Joanna hooked the
Muskie, but the fish actually hooked Joanna on fishing. Ron and Lisa
also had a great day catching 25 plus Northern Pike and 12 nice
Smallmouth, with Ron landing two Muskie. Ron also caught two Master
Anglers Award Smallmouth during his stay both measuring 18.25 inches.
Fun was had by all and their were some long faces by departure time,
but Ron when leaving was already laying plans to come back to Fireside
Lodge in 2005.
Return guest Matt Hollond brought Bob, Terry, from Chicago, IL and Pat
from Omaha, Ne, and friends Tom and Kevin McClowry also from Chicago,
Mario Brcik from Oak Forest, IL and Dave Killiam also from Omaha.
Terry had never been on a fishing trip before so all was new, and at
the end of his first day of fishing with Mario Terry caught his first
Northern Pike ever at 38 inches, his first Muskie ever at 29.5 inches,
and his first Smallmouth which was a HUGE Master Anglers Award
Smallmouth measuring 19.75 inches. That is a Smallmouth of a lifetime
and it was Terry's first. Mario also caught an 18 inch Master Angler
Award Smallmouth. Tom and Kevin caught a number of good Smallmouth
Bass. All had a great first day. The second day they all caught
Northern Pike and Smallmouth, and the third day Mario and Terry hooked
up to catch a bunch of Northern Pike and a few big walleye in one of
our portage lakes. Dave, Pat and Matt and Bob also hooked up with some
Northern Pike and Smallmouth. The fourth and final day Mario and Matt
seemed to do the best in numbers as they caught a lot of Northern Pike
and a few Muskie on plastic tubes. Also, while fishing with a Fireside
Lodge spoon Bob hooked into, and landed the Muskie of his life, as he
landed a 40 inch Muskie. Great catch Bob. Bob told me it doesn't get
any better than when the lodge owner not only shows you where to catch
the fish, but then he gives you the lure that actually catches the
biggest fish of your life. All had a great stay, and as Mario was
leaving he said it was far to short for him, as the four days just
flew by, and next year it has to be a week stay.
Bill Goodwin and Andy Denis from Wilmington, De were first time guests
at Fireside Lodge. These two had fabulous Smallmouth fishing and had a
fabulous time period. First day out they decided to try artificial
baits only and caught a few Smallmouth. Second day out they used live
leeches, or I should say Bill used live leeches and Andy kept with
artificial lures, and Bill caught 30 nice Smallmouth Bass and Andy
caught three. Their third day they both caught 24 Smallmouth all fat
and between 15 to 17 inches. Bill also hooked, and managed to land, a
big heavy 38 inch Muskie while fishing with live leeches. Could you
imagine the fight, as he caught this Muskie on 8lb test line with a #6
Mustad circle hook. This was a great catch and can be viewed on our
digital picture viewer in the main lodge area. On their fourth day
they caught well over 30 Smallmouth Bass, and Bill and Andy's comment
when asked how their day was responded "Fabulous." Their fifth and
final day was no less than fabulous as they landed over 40 Smallmouth
Bass. Bill has been Smallmouth fishing at other lodges in Ontario and
told me that the Smallmouth Fishing at Fireside Lodge was the best he
experienced in Canada. When Andy asked Bill to describe their trip in
one or two words, Bill' response was "Fun." I thought that was a great
compliment as that is exactly what fishing is supposed to be. Thanks
for driving all that was to stay with us at Fireside Lodge.
Harry and Susan Vilsack from Upper St Clair, Pa on their second visit
to Fireside Lodge, brought another couple Larry and Betty Schiffenhaus
from Essex Falls, NJ. This was the first time in 30 years Harry and
his sister Betty had spent vacation time together, and all had a
fabulous time together. It's hard to think of a better way to spend
family time than fishing together, and every day they enjoyed a shore
lunch cooked over an open fire, and everyone took part making it a
real family event. It was also a nice way to take time out to stretch
their legs, talk and laugh together, and plan their afternoon fishing
strategy. After seeing a lot of big follows from toothy critters their
first day, they did well fishing and catching fish every day after.
The second day into the trip Larry caught his first Muskie ever, a
very large fish measuring 35.5 inches, and Harry caught a 33 inch
Northern Pike. Another day they did GRRRRREAT, catching lots of
Northern Pike, and as I saw Betty and Larry at the dock, Betty, all
smiles, said they stopped counting after sixteen, and Harry and Susan
counted 15 plus. For this group fishing is only one of the reasons
they came to Fireside Lodge. The other reasons were for the solitude,
wilderness, wildlife, great photography opportunities, being together
in the wonderful atmosphere of the North, and just plain enjoying each
others company. One of their nightly activities was working on a
puzzle, a fishing puzzle, and having laughs and good conversation
while doing so. They did complete the puzzle by weeks end, and also
had a fabulous time spending time together. Thanks for making Fireside
Lodge your place to make some of you precious family memories.
Another couple here for their second consecutive year is Tom and
Jennifer Born from Arlington, Tx. First day out they caught plenty of
Smallmouth between 12 to 16 inches, and Tom caught a Master Anglers
Award Smallmouth measuring 18.5 inches. Tom also had a HUGE Pike in
the in the net, and it managed to get out, and he lost probably the
largest Northern Pike he ever caught. Second day they went Muskie
hunting in Cedarbough, Tom still in search for his first. Well, he not
only caught his first Muskie, a 33.5 incher, he also caught his second
at 30 inches. Their third day was a great success as they landed 22
fish, and kept it even at 11 fish each, with one of Jen's being a 31.5
inch Tiger Muskie. The fourth day brought them some nice Smallmoth
action, with all being bigger fish, and Jen caught a 17 incher and Tom
another Master Anglers Smallmouth measuring 18.5 inches. On the
morning of their last day I was talking with Tom and Jen at the tackle
shop, and it was decided a big fish was going to be caught in their
boat that day. Well, they had a great Smallmouth day and Jen caught
the two long fish of the day, one being a nice 29 inch Northern Pike,
and from the same spot caught a GIANT 42 inch clear Muskie. This is a
great picture to see in our lodge on our digital picture viewer,
however it will also be posted on our website by November - December
of his year. These two had a wonderful getaway at Fireside Lodge and
intend on returning.
Many years return guests of Fireside Lodge Dave and Jeff Norkiewicz
from Tinley Park and Plainfield, IL were back in search for the large
toothy critters, and especially to take advantage of our excellent
Muskie fishing. Well, their first day proved to be a great start to
the week and set the tone, as Dave caught two Muskie 37 and 37.5
inches within 10 minutes of each other, and Jeff lost a HUGE Master
Anglers Award Northern Pike. The second day they landed 18 Northern
Pike all between 30 to 35 inches, and Jeff caught a 37 inch Tiger
Muskie. Their third day they caught 12 Northern Pike between 30 to 37
inches, Jeff catching the 37 incher, and Jeff also caught a 38 inch
Muskie. They also saw a few GIANT Muskie, that followed their baits.
Another fabulous day was when they caught over 25 Northern Pike all
between 32 to 34 inches and Jeff caught a 35 inch Muskie. By weeks end
they landed 9 Muskie, scores of Northern Pike, with more than half
measuring between 32 to 37 inches, and not to say all the laughs, fun,
and great dinning room conversation. They also had some wonderful
brother time together, which as you get older gets more precious. They
made their reservations for 2005, and thanks for returning to Fireside
Lodge for so many years.
Hot Lures of the week: Mepps, Black Bucktail, Thin Fin Griz, Live
Leeches
Master Anglers Awards Caught: 3 Smallmouth Bass largest 19.75 inches
That's all for this weeks Fireside Lodge fishing news, so until next
week, "Keep On Fish'n." Alan
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Fireside Lodge Report (8/28/2004) - Little Vermillion System, Sioux Lookout