Fireside Lodge Fishing Report June 8th to June 15th 2019

Fireside Lodge Fishing Report June 8th to June 15th 2019
Attachment 30273
Even though we had 1.5 days of warmth this week was still hedging on the cooler than normal side with daytime highs below normal. This caused the Smallmouth Bass to hold off spawning on any part of the lake than was wind blown from the main lake deep water, but when you fished the places that did not the action was nothing less than fabulous.
Attachment 30274
Long time return guests Doug Kerr & Greg Stowe from Henrico, NC were thrilled to be back chasing Smallmouth Bass. 1st day fishing was terrific catching over 90 Smallmouth Bass, most 16-18.5-inches and Doug had the largest of the day, landing a 19-inch monster and he also had the most fish so Doug got the honors of being the first to wear the champ of the day shirt Doug makes for every trip. 2nd day they had another great day catching 84 Smallmouth Bass and Doug edged out Greg by two fish retaining his title.
Attachment 30275Attachment 30276
3rd day was met with a severe weather change with the daytime high being 30 degrees less than day 2 with heavy rain and T-storms. Despite the conditions they still managed to catch 23 Nice Smallmouth Bass. 3rd day was a day of catching Northern Pike and for Greg it was about catching the biggest fish of his life as he hooked and landed a very large 40-inch Tiger Muskie. It was quite a fire drill as their net was too small and “The Fish Grip” that Greg purchased at my tackle shop the previous day came in handy in landing this Monster Tiger Musky. Their last two days they spent dividing time between Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass fishing even though their intent was to commit to Northern Pike fishing. Doug has an addiction of the best kind loving Smallmouth Bass fishing, so they would start out catching Pike and by afternoon switch to Smallmouth Bass. Doug had the honors of winning the right to were the award T-Shirt every day until their last when Greg beat him by one fish, and there was slight controversy over that. Both had a great stay with us and hope to be back in 2020.
Attachment 30277Attachment 30278
First time guests Don Heagren from Litttleton, NC with Nephew Doug from Dalles, TX and good friends David Hicks from Annapolis, MD and Jan Snedeker from Bellville, PA were referred to us by Doug Kerr above. First day out this group did fabulous with Don and Doug catching 41 Smallmouth Bass all being big including several Master Anglers Award Trophies and Jan fishing with Dave caught over 30 Smallmouth with a couple of trophy size along with a half dozen Northern Pike. To top off a great day Dave and Jan broke out their fly rods and caught over 30 large Smallmouth Bass Fly Fishing. 2nd day had Jan and David again catching many Smallmouth Bass on dark green twister tails. These four had another fabulous
Attachment 30279Attachment 30280Attachment 30281
3rd day fishing for new timers to Little Vermilion Lake catching many Smallmouth Bass and some Northern Pike. Many of the Smallmouth were large including trophy sizes, Doug having the top two catches of the day landing two HUGE Trophy Smallmouth Bass measuring 21 and 20.5 inches. WOW two lifetime catches in one day. Next day was also very good with Jan and Don each catching trophy Smallmouth Bass 18 and 19-inches, Jan landed a 30-inch Northern Pike on lite Bass gear. On their last two days they continued to catch many Smallmouth Bass, mixing in some nice 30-inch plus Pike, and during their entire stay they each caught 5-6 trophy Smallmouth Bass ranging from 18 to 21 –inches. All had a fabulous stay making fishing memories and were already talking and planning about next time.
Attachment 30282Attachment 30283
Ric Klingler from Lisbon, IA, Douglas Current from Melbourne, FL were glad to be returning for their 2nd time. First full day Ric and Doug did very well catching over 30 Smallmouth Bass over 17 inches, Ric with two trophies at 19.5 and 18.5 inches and Doug with 3 Trophy Smallmouth Bass at 19, and two 18-inch fish. 2nd day T-Storms, wind and heavy rain told the story. They stayed in most of the day but after the weather broke at 4 in the afternoon they caught 25 sizable Smallmouth Bass in 3 hours with Doug landing another 19 inch Trophy and Ric with an 18.5-inch trophy.
Attachment 30284Attachment 30285
3rd day was another very good day catching at least 30 Smallmouth Bass all ranging on the large side 17-19-inches but the catch of the day and week was had by Doug. While fishing for Smallmouth Bass with a jig head dressed with a twister tail he encountered the fight of his life hooking into and landing a 48-inch Trophy Muskie. Great catch by Doug and great netting job by Ric using the fish cradle we supply for the first time. The netting process went very well, releasing this monster who swam away with vigor. 5th and final day they finished strong catching many Smallmouth Bass and upon departure Ric said he had the best fishing of his lifetime and he could not think of a reason why he would choose anywhere else to fish in Canada.
Attachment 30286Attachment 30287
Jeff Chisholm from the Greater Toronto Area returned for his 5th time with sons Matt, Brian and grandson Ben. First day they spent catching some fish while taking a break at Twin Falls, which is a very scenic lunch spot on Little Vermilion Lake. Jeff being a pilot also enjoys flying a special drone taking some terrific pictures of the falls. All had a great family day. 2nd day was difficult weather conditions driving them off the water by mid morning with T-Storms, lighting, and heavy rain. After spending some time in their cabin they returned to the water to have great after storm Fly Fishing, catching Smallmouth Bass and Northern Pike. Their third day was a planned half-day of fishing only as they had to travel home to meet commitments. Last half day they enjoyed catching some fish and soaking up the wilderness soon to be far removed from, but not before lifelong memories were made between three generations. Thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge for your special family vacation time.
Attachment 30288Attachment 30289
Carl Quertermus from Villa Rica, GA a long time return guest of Fireside Lodge was back to fish Little Vermilion Lake which he has been doing since 1964. Carl loves long toothy critters and after a slower 1st day, being 86 and humid, and day two having severe weather with heavy rain and T-Storms coming with an sudden cold front by noon this seemed to get the Pike going catching 10 sizable Northern Pike and 2 Muskie in a short period of time. 3rd day was a very good day for Northern Pike and Muskie catching 5 Musky one small and 4 at 33,36,37, and 40 inches. WOW that’s Muskie fishing. 4th day brought a lot of follows and 18 Northern Pike landed. 5th day had him catching a lot of Smallmouth Bass along with 15+ Northern Pike 6th day was very windy so Carl concentrated on toothy critters catching 13 nice Northern Pike one Muskie and caught 7 Smallmouth Bass using 7-8-inch twitch baits and one of the Smallmouth was a very large 19.5-inch Trophy. 7th day Carl caught another 34-inch Muskie along with many Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass ending up his trip with two Master Anglers Award Trophy Smallmouth Bass. Upon departure Carl said he hopes to return in 2020 for his 56th consecutive fishing trip on Little Vermilion Lake.
Attachment 30290
Mark from Fruechte from Evanston, WY was here for his first visit. 1st day for Mark was good, fishing Little Vermilion Lake for his first time, catching 10 Smallmouth Bass and several Northern Pike. 2nd day had Mark working his way to Cedarbough Lake catching some nice Northern Pike up to 36-inches. 3rd day brought heavy rain, winds and lighting keeping him in until 5PM. Fishing that evening he had Northern Pike action and had a huge Muskie on and to the boat several times but had difficulty landing it by himself. If you have ever tried landing a BIG fish alone you could empathize with Mark. The dinning room decided this was definitely a catch in anyone book. Marks last several days were spent looking for prime Smallmouth Bass areas and was successful catching many Smallmouth Bass in the 14 to 17.5-inch range a few 18-19-inch Trophies. On the last day he accomplished a life goal of catching a 20-inch Smallmouth Bass. If fact he caught two nearly back to back both measuring 20.5-inches. WOW what a finish and reward for all his patience researching areas on a new lake system. Upon departing Mark told Audrey his intention was to return to visit us in 2020.
Attachment 30291Attachment 30292
Ted Payseur & Jan Anderson from West Des Moines, IA were here for the 5th year in a row eager to fish and try a few new methods. DOA they were very successful catching 35+ Smallmouth Bass on these new techniques with Ted and Jan landing several Trophy Smallmouth Bass the largest being 19-inches by Ted. 2nd day they caught fish but not with the consistency as day 1 and day 3 the weather drove them off the water by 2PM with drenching rain, T-Storms, and windy conditions. Despite these conditions they did well catching Smallmouth before the weather pushed them in a 2:30. But after supper Jan caught a BIG beauty of a Lake Trout at 27-inches.
Attachment 30293Attachment 30294
Day 3 was all about Northern Pike with Ted landing the largest at 36 inches, which had a fresh bite mark all up and down it’s sides, meaning that something larger just tried to eat this fish. Him and Jan said the wounds were bloody and looked like it just happened. 4th day they portaged to a lake to fish for walleye and did very well with Jan catching he largest at 24.5-inches. 5th and final day was spent mixing it up a bit catching some nice Smallmouth Bass and they had the rare happening of each catching a Muskie on back to back casts with Jan landing the largest at 34-inches. Fabulous ending to another fabulous fishing trip between two good friends.
Attachment 30295Attachment 30296Attachment 30297
Long time guests Jim O’Toole, Elmwood Park, IL son Brian, Mountain Home, ID, Mike Korbit Downers Grove, IL with son Steven who has been in Afganistan for the last 5 years and Thomas Styx and Bill Sykes from Orland Park, IL. 1st day of fishing met this group with a severe cold front, and T-Storms keeping some of them off the water for the better part of the day. Even with these conditions they caught some big Smallmouth bass and many northern Pike. Following a tradition, Jim’s brother-in-law Tom bought him a lure and in the past Jim has caught fish on this lure and this year was no exception Jim catching Northern Pike with his new Yo-Zuri Vibe. 2nd day was very good fishing catching many Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass, Brian landing a trophy 18+incher and Jim caught some Northern Pike on the very first lure Tom bought for him at Fireside Lodge years ago. This was the original lure that started Tom’s tradition of buying Jim a lure from my tackle shop and the one that Jim caught a 44-inch Northern the first time using it.
Attachment 30298Attachment 30299Attachment 30300
The last two days of their 4 day fishing trip were spent catching a lot of Smallmouth Bass and Northern Pike and on the Bass end of things they caught many very large Trophy fish including Jim catching several at 19 and 19.5-inches and Bryan had a couple over 18-inches. They also enjoyed their traditional group shore lunch which filled them up so much a few could not eat supper. All left making another set of memories at Fireside Lodge which started 20 years ago when Jim brought his son Bryan at the age of 14-years old who is now 34. A bit saddened at leaving, as departing Jim said there’s always next year to look forward to.
Attachment 30301Attachment 30302
Long time guests Bill Rasbach, NC , Bill and Mike Aulenbach from OH & Ft Meyers, FL, Joe Demeis, Sewickley,PA, Charlie Walton Hudson, OH and new-timer Gary Doerr from Sacarmento, CA. were glad to be back fishing at Fireside Lodge. 1st day was Great for the fly fishers Bill R and Charlie catching 25+ nice Smallmouth Bass half on Poppers and half on Clouser Minnows. Bill and Mike also had good success catching some Pike and Bill A landed a very nice 34-inch Muskie. Catching Muskie is always Bill’s priority and he accomplished this on day one 2nd day was a challenge with strong winds but Bill R and Charlie found a lot of BIG Smallmouth Bass seeing 60 or so that just were not agreeable being more interested in spawning than eating.
Attachment 30303Attachment 30304
3rd day was very good for Bill R and Charlie catching many Smallmouth Bass fly-fishing. 4th day was a super fishing and catching day as the whole group had more action on Northern Pike than anyone can ask for ending up landing 120. Bill and Charlie, the fly-fishers of the group caught 50 Northern Pike fly-fishing. 5th and final day Bill & Mike Aulenbach caught 27 nice Northern Pike while Bill R and Charlie had another good day Fly-Fishing for Smallmouth Bass noticing the Bass going through a change since they arrived. Joe and Gary also had a great day enjoying fishing and Gary caught his first ever Muskie a nice 34-inch very heavy fish and he also caught his first ever Smallmouth fly-fishing. This concluded a great fishing trip for this group and all left in anticipation of their return, so much so that Bill R left his fishing rods for easier travel when he returns.
Attachment 30305
Return guest Rick Kile from San Diego, CA with Uncle and cousin Pete & Kyle Corneliuson from Fresno, CA and Seattle, WA. were happy to reunite at Fireside Lodge. First day on the water Pete and Kyle had success fly-fishing for Smallmouth Bass using Clouser Minnows. 2nd day was great as they all caught a lot of Smallmouth Bass with Pete and Kyle catching all of there bass fly fishing on Clouser Minnows and poppers while Rick used the Ned Rig discovering his best success came when doing a little as possible with it and just letting it sit on the bottom. This is what I call the do nothing technique. Third and final day was cut short to a half day fishing as Rick had to attend to some family matters however they enjoyed very good fishing for Smallmouth Bass and also had Northern Pike follows. They all had a fabulous stay fishing and making family memories.
Attachment 30306Attachment 30307Attachment 30308
First time guests at Fireside Lodge were Father and Daughter combo Marl & Aaron Manio. 1st day they hit the water before breakfast for a few hours catching 11 Smallmouth Bass on white spinners and Aaron had a HUGE follow from either a Northern Pike or Musky. After breakfast the did very well catching 30+ Smallmouth Bass for the day and a good number of Northern Pike plus Mark caught 4 large Pike Fly-Fishing. Aaron was using a white in line spinner and in addition Mark had success Fly Fishing on a streamer with a little flash.
Attachment 30309Attachment 30310Attachment 30311
2nd day was another great day catching many big Smallmouth Bass several Pike and Mark hooked a large Muskie on a #2 Mepps spinner having a fight for about 15 seconds ending up in a bite off. It was great excitement for both as Aaron made several attempts at netting the Muskie but the fish was full of energy and evaded the net. 3rd and final day, boy 3 days goes by fast, they had they best day fishing ever catching over 60 Northern Pike having continuous action. After supper they gave it one last whirl catching more nice Smallmouth Bass with Aaron ending up the trip with 4 Trophy Awards for Smallmouth Bass between 18 and 18.5-inches. But as we know the biggest catch of all was the memories made between father and daughter, which will last a lifetime. Thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge to make this special time together happen.
Attachment 30312Attachment 30313
Make sure to go to our website below to see some GREAT Fish Photos. For Fabulous Fishing Video, Wildlife Events, and Current Happenings go to our Social Sites Below.
Attachment 30314
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Pinterest
TripAdvisor

Hot Lures: Suspending Twitch Baits, Blue Fox Spinner, Mepps Spinner, Ned Rig, Sinking Worm, Yo-Zuri Vibe, Twister Tail, Hair Jig

Hot Flies: Clouser Minnow, Popper, Streamer With Flash, Wooly Bugger

Catches of The Week: 48-inch Muskie, 40-inch Muskie, 40-inch Tiger Muskie, 81 Trophy Smallmouth Bass 18 to 21-inches
Attachment 30315
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