Fireside Lodge Fishing Report 7/8 to 7/15 2017

Fireside Lodge Fishing Report 7/8 to 7/15 2017
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This week’s weather was very nice with most days in the mid 70-degree F range with some rain but nothing that stopped guests from fishing. This week we had Families & Fly-Fishers and all fished long hours and were very productive.
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Rich & Curtis Scott returned to Fireside Lodge as a special retirement gift for Rich from his place of work. Rich decided to share this generous gift with family members Brian Tinder Joplin, MO Tom Jones and father / son Patrick Scott and Ely. DOA they got off to a GREAT START catching over 100 Smallmouth as a group Ely catching a BIG 17.5-inch Smallmouth Bass and Rich had the largest at 18-inches. 1st full day they caught more Northern Pike than they could keep count and they caught Smallmouth Bass including some huge ones with Curtis landing a 19, 19.5, & 19.75-inch Trophy and Ely caught an 18.5-inch Master Anglers Award Trophy.
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2nd day this group did great catching tons of Smallmouth Bass up to 17.75-inches and Ely did it again landing a Trophy Smallmouth Bass at 18-inches. The story of the day was Ely hooked a big Muskie, 36-inches which bit him off however Curtis threw another lure at the fish and it took it and after a battle Curtis landed the Muskie with Ely’s line still in it’s mouth. 3rd day they had another great day, even though it was cut in half by weather, Brian caught a very large Tiger Muskie and Ely, at the age of 12 caught his first Muskie measuring 33-inches. 4th day was a terrific Smallmouth Bass day, not only catching numbers but also the size of the fish was unreal. Curtis caught a 19.5, with two 18.5-inch Smallies, Ely caught a 19.75-incher, Brian had three 18-18.75-inches with Tom & Richard also catching several over 18-19-inches. Curtis said most were bigger fish 16-inch and above.
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5th day with Tom & Brian fishing together they caught a lot of Smallmouth Bas & Tom was a good net man for Brian as he caught 10, yes 10 Master Anglers Award Trophy Smallmouth Bass over 18-inches & half were 19-19.75 inches. 6th and final day was amazing catching many Smallmouth Bass 15 to 17-inches and said that easily they caught 100+Smallmouth Bass. This group left catching 35 Master Anglers Award Trophy Smallmouth Bass. All left having a wonderful family fishing vacation making great family memories.
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Mike & Janet Estes from Livonia, MI returned for their 5th time and started out on their DOA, fishing for just a few hours before supper, catching 11 Northern Pike, loosing 3 others and 1 Smallmouth Bass. 1st day was another good Northern Pike day catching many 28 to over 30-inches and Jan caught 2 big Smallmouth Bass at 17.5-inches. 2nd day was great Northern Pike fishing catching 28 between 28 to 31-inches and having 3 doubles. 3rd day was a very good day with the highlight fish catch being a BIG Northern Pike by Mike. 4th day was hard rain until early afternoon then high winds which kept them off the water most of the day. 5th day was a fabulous weather day catching over 20 Northern Pike and a Smallmouth Bass. 6th & final day was not gangbusters but they caught fish and enjoyed their last hours enjoying the wilderness that surrounded them. Both said they had a great trip and made their reservations for 2018 before departing.
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David Lilja, Woodbury, MN and Don Heywood, Mound, MN returned for their 3rd consecutive year. DOA Don was a little tired from the long drive so Dave fished himself catching some Northern Pike right off the bat and discovered the challenge of landing a fish without a fishing partner. First two days they did just OK based on the standards they set for themselves over their time fishing with us. 3rd day as they say was a charm as they had a terrific Northern Pike day catching so many they did not even count. They said at times it was one after another. 4th & final day was very strong finish for these two as they had constant action and landed 40-50 Northern Pike. Great end to another great fishing trip.
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1st Time guests visiting us at Fireside Lodge were the Ritter family, Robert & Debbie from Burkburnett, TX with Son Garrett wife Courtney and their 6 year old son Rhett from Runaway Bay, TX. 1st day they all caught some nice fish with Garrett & Courtney catching a few Tiger Muskie. Also after they saw a BIG Muskie surface Courtney casted her lure nearby the fish and they saw the fish dive down after the lure and Courtney hooked it for a short time and with all the excitement she forgot to set the hook and the fish got off.
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2nd day Robert & Debbie hit a honey hole catching many Smallmouth Bass and Northern Pike saying they spent well over 2 hours in one spot catching one fish after another. Garrett, Courtney, & Rhett also did very well catching about 25 Northern Pike with Rhett catching his first ever Northern Pike. 3rd & final day the weather played a factor so the ladies and Rhett styed back while Robert & Garrett fished all day having a blast catching northern pike & also caught a few Smallmouth. All left very happy with great family memories, but sad they did not have a day or to left.
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Father & Sons making their 1st appearance at Fireside Lodge were Patrick, Patrick II (PJ) and 14-year old Joe all from Lafayette, CA. 1st day these three did great catching many Smallmouth Bass an a few Northern Pike PJ landing the largest Smallmouth at 17.5-inches.
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2nd day was a great day catching over 20 Smallmouth Bass, most on tube jigs, and 8 Northern Pike on a Yo-Zuri Stick Bait making for a 30 Fish Day. 3rd day as quoted by Patrick & PJ. Was they best fishing day of their life catching well over 40 Northern Pike plus they had many hits and misses. 4th and final day they had a ball catching Smallmouth Bass & Northern Pike all very nice size, Pike up to 30-inches and Smallmouth to 17.5-inches. This family had a blast and left making wonderful fishing memories at Fireside Lodge. Thanks for choosing us as your family fishing getaway.
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Fly-Fishers Steve Jensen from Springfield, MO returning for his 15th consecutive year came with Ralph Eichholz from Ozark, MO for his 3rd time. Also Steve inspired two other Groups to join him this year which are directly below. 1st day was terrific Fly Fishing for Northern Pike catching over 35, all on a Murdich Minnow. Next day weather created a half-day of fishing catching some nice Northern Pike. 3rd day was weather day with lots of rain & high winds limiting fishing to just a few hours but they still managed 7 Pike plus Steve caught a nice Tiger Muskie. 4th day was a good day fly-fishing catching 14 Northern Pike and Steve caught a HUGE 19-inch Smallmouth Bass. 5th & final day was very windy which is a fly fishers biggest challenge but all caught fish and enjoyed their last day among the wilderness setting we have at Fireside Lodge, upon departure Steve made his reservation for 2018.
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Good friends of Steve, Jerry Jester & Larry Wegmann both from Springfield, MO were Fly Fishing in Canada for their 1st time. 1st day ever on our lake system and these two fly fishers did great combining for over 30 Northern Pike on the fly. 2nd day had these two catching some Northern Pike before the weather chased them in. 3rd day they were weathered in most of the day but still caught a few Pike and spent the rest of their time tying flies. 4th day was a fun fly-fishing day catching 15 Northern Pike. 5th & final day both had fun catching a few fish in the challenging windy conditions. Both said they had a fabulous stay and decided to return in 2018 by making an early reservation before departing.
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Our first ever all ladies group, inspired by Steve Jensen above by association through a fly-fishers club, comprised of Debra Hall Springfield, MO Natalie Jones Independence, MO Louisa Runnals Ft Leonard Wood, MO and Judi Lewis, Emporia, KS were all here to fly-fish in the Canadian Wilderness for their first time. 1st day these ladies wasted no time at all with Debra & Louisa catching 41 Northern Pike, all fly-fishing, plus 3 Smallmouth Bass all caught by Judi.
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Next day was successful learning about lake structure, finding it then applying their skills in technique and presentation catching Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, and a good size walleye. It was the first time Debra ever caught a Smallmouth Bass and she was very impressed, and now understands why they are referred to as the fighters of the bass world. Even though the weather was tough with high winds and rain Debra & Louisa caught a bunch of Smallmouth bass & a few Pike while Natalie & Judi fished the longest catching both Pike & Smallmouth Bass, Judi breaking a fly rod in the process of catching a bigger Northern Pike. Natalie had a huge Northern Pike up to the boat several times but then the fish made a jump and turn snapping her line.
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4th day these ladies enjoyed the weather, 72F sunny with a slight wind and caught both Northern Pike & Smallmouth Bass catching a total of a dozen in one bot on the silver & white Murdich Minnow. 5th day Judi & Natalie had a very good day catching both Northern Pike & Smallmouth Bass with Natalie catching her first ever Smallmouth, while Debra & Louisa portaged to another lake having a blast catching many Smallmouth Bass. All had a super time and expressed how wonderful the total experience they had with us at Fireside Lodge. All hope to return in 2 years.
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Return guests Chris Cusick Bolingbrook, IL, Tony Weber, IN and Mike Kamp Chicago, IL were happy to arrive after some delays in their travel plans. 1st day was slow going but day 2 was like magic catching endless Northern Pike and many bigger Smallmouth Bass 16 to 17.75 –inches. 3rd day they were focused on Muskie, but they were not out to play, so mid-day the changed tactics & did very well catching a bunch of Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass. 4th day and the 5th and final day were carbon copies of each other with them catching more Northern Pike than they could keep up with counting and many Smallmouth Bass. All left having a fabulous time and left already looking forward to their return.
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Long time guests Gary Johnson, & sons Kevin & Joshua from Midlothian, IL brought Adam Gregory for his first time ever fishing in Canada. 1st day they caught over a dozen Smallmouth Bass and 8 nice Northern Pike. 2nd day was a good day catching Northern Pike and in the evening after supper Kevin & Adam found a Smallmouth Bass spot that delivered 14 Smallmouth Bass within an hour. Third day was great for Gary & Josh as they caught 28 very nice Northern Pike on Ratl’n Raps most 30-35-inches & a few Smallmouth Bass.
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3rd day was terrific catching 31 Northern Pike and close to 20 Smallmouth Bass. Almost all the Pike were during the day while the smallmouth were after supper. 4th and final day they focused on Muskie getting follows only, catching a good number of pike along they way, Gary saying that they saw a very large Muskie. All left having a great time and can’t wait until their return in 4 weeks.
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Father & son Bob & Ron Ramsey from Leavenworth, KS & Arden, NC returned for their 13th consecutive year. DOA they, just having a few hours, they went right to a few of their old haunts catching a total of 7 Northern Pike the largest being a 35-incher. 1st day was very good catching many very nice size Northern Pike 28 to 35-inches. 2nd day had them catching many Pike again, but Ron walked away with the prize of the day catching a HUGE FAT 39-inch Tiger Muskie. 3rd and final day was just as good as the first two catching plenty of Pike plus seeing a few Muskie follows. During their 3-day stay they did very well catching larger fish, but the biggest catch of all was making another set of father and son memories. Before departing ways Bob made reservations for the same dates in 2018.
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Hot Lures / Flies: Murdich Minnow, Clouser Minnow, Mepps Spinner, Blue Fox Spinner, Rattl’n Rap

Catches of The Week: 54 Smallmouth Bass Between 18 to 20-inches, 39.5-inch Tiger Muskie, Catching 50 Northern Pike Fly Fishing
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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
http://www.firesidelodgefishing.com
http://www.firesidelodge.com
800-545-0815
Email at:fireside@xplornet.com