Fireside Lodge Fishing News/Photo Report 7/18 to 8/1 2009 Part 2

The weather finally turned around getting some sunny days with calm winds, and temperatures in the mid 70’s. We did have some rain in the form of showers by mid week but no dramatic cold front or high winds like the past few weeks.

Father and sons David, Dave, and Todd Stefanini from Olmsted Twp. And Middleburg Heights, OH were fishing at Fireside Lodge for there first time. After supper these three got off to a great start catching Smallmouth Bass and Northern Pike and Todd caught an 18.5-inch Master Anglers Award Smallmouth. First day ever fishing Little Vermilion Lake system they caught over 40 Northern pike and lost over 40 Northern Pike. They were using surface lures and the misses were as exciting as the caught fish. They had several doubles, and Dave caught all his while fly-fishing. Great day for these newcomers. Second day was focused on Muskie fishing, and they did great having some follows and catching two Muskie. A two Muskie day is a great day in any Muskie fisher’s log. Fourth day was a FANTASTIC day fishing as they caught 70 Northern Pike and two Smallmouth Bass. The action was so fast they had many doubles and one triple catch. The best catch of the day was Dave landing a GIANT 20.5-inch Smallmouth Bass on his fly rod. WOW, what a great catch fly-fishing. Fifth day they portage for Muskie and for 6 hours had no action, then in typical fashion the Muskie suddenly turned on for 1.5 hours having follows and Todd caught two at 32 and 34-inches. Dave had one open its month just about to eat his fly and it saw the boat, turned and waved goodbye with its tail. Very next cast Dave hooked and landed a nice Smallmouth. Patience paid off for these three, having another two Muskie day. Sixth and Final day was a gang busters day as they caught what seemed to be endless Northern Pike catching 75 along with 6 Smallmouth Bass, and David Sr caught a BIG heavy Master Anglers Award Smallmouth Bass measuring 18.5-inches. Great finish to a great week full of fun, with the biggest catch between these father and sons were the memories made. Thanks for making them at Fireside Lodge.

Returning for his second time this year and tenth consecutive year was Phil Spahr from Fairborn, OH and with him for his second trip to Fireside Lodge was bother-in-law Jerry Westfall from Clarksburg, WV. Day of arrival these two caught almost 20 fish, mostly Northern Pike and a few Smallmouth Bass. First full day was full of excitement as they landed 43 Northern Pike, had several doubles, lost many, and each caught a BIG Smallmouth Bass. Phil’s measured in at 17.5-inches and Jerry caught a Master Anglers Award Smallmouth at 18-inches. Second day had them catching a mix of Smallmouth Bass and Northern Pike landing about 20 fish total and enjoying the nice day. Third day was off fishing for Muskie and they did have some excitement in this area. They had follows, a Muskie hooked and lost, and Phil had a big Muskie under control, led it into the cradle perfectly, when the fish went wild thrashing so fast and hard it slapped Jerry’s hand off of he cradle handle and got out. Phil still had it on for a moment only to see his Mepps pop out of the Muskie’s mouth. Fourth day was full of fabulous fast action and fun as they caught 54 Northern Pike by suppertime. Lat day was even better as they caught 52 Northern Pike and 8 Smallmouth Bass, all the Pike being larger than the day before with a lot between 28 to 32-inches and Jerry caught his second Master Anglers Award Smallmouth at 18.5-inches. Both made memories that can’t compare to any fish caught, and Phil will be back in 2010 with his sons to enjoy the wilderness he loves so much.

Kent Williams and Bill Black from Atlanta, GA returned to Fireside Lodge for their fifth consecutive year. First day fishing they caught a bunch of Smallmouth Bass, and said the action was very fast until 1:00PM when rain moved in a seemed to shut things down. Second day was slower as they tried some new waters with very limited success. For the evening fish Kent decided not to fish so Bill went alone and of course the Pike were very active. Bill had lots of action, but had difficulty landing these toothy critters by himself, especially one that was in the 35 to 38-inch range. Bill tried to net the fish four times and finally the fish broke off and swam away. Third day was great as they caught a lot of Smallmouth Bass. Fourth and final day was very windy but as Bill says, Kent gets all wide-eyed and excited when this happens after he learned a technique that works great in the wind. Picking the windy side of weed beds they troll right in the heaviest wind, and did they ever catch Northern Pike. The Pike were all good size, 28 up to 35-inches. They caught so many that Kent said quote “we caught so many Pike I quit because I was tired of handling them”. I told Kent I was going to use this quote in my fishing report and if anyone calls me on it he has to verify his statement, which he agreed to do. I found them on the dock on their last evening after supper enjoying the cool breeze off the water as long as they could before returning to hot steamy Atlanta. Both had a great trip and hope to return in 2010.

Mike and Zack Gerulski from Huntington Woods, MI were fishing at Fireside Lodge for there eighth consecutive year. First day they caught some Smallmouth Bass and a few Northern Pike. Second day was a slower day but for Mike and Zack Smallmouth fishing picked up considerably after supper. Third day shaped up very nice with the Smallmouth Bass action turning on and Zack himself caught 18 nice Smallmouth Bass before supper and Mike mixed it up with 8 Smallmouth and 7 Northern Pike. Fourth day was a portage for Smallmouth Bass and Muskie. It was very high winds on this day, which made boat control difficult, however they did catch some Smallmouth Bass and Zack caught a Muskie, which was his first ever. Congratulations to Zack on his first Muskie catch. They concluded their trip by fishing after supper in the still high winds with one goal and that was to catch a fish. Well, they did just that and caught a Smallmouth. After they returned to the dock they said goodbye to Kent and Bill (above) who have become Fireside friends over the last several years. Nice that people meet at Fireside Lodge from Atlanta and Michigan and form lasting relationships. That’s part of what Audrey and I call the “Magic” of Fireside Lodge. This along with the lasting memories made over the last eight years between Mike and Zack, is the biggest catch of all. We hope to see all of these fellows back at Fireside Lodge for many years to come. Thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge to make memories and friends.

Returning to Fireside Lodge for their third year in a row were Todd Meyer and sons Dan and John with John Anderson and his son Jake all from Naperville, IL. Day of arrival this group got right to it catching some Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass. First full day of fishing was a slower day for most guests in camp however these guys were the exception. They caught a total of 37 Smallmouth Bass, 9 Northern Pike and the fathers Todd and John each landed a Muskie. John’s was 36-inches and Todd also caught a 36-incher with the girth of a 42-inch Muskie. Great first day. Just goes to show that even during a slower day fishing on the lake, there are still plenty of fish to be caught. Second day was the best fishing days of their lives as they caught over 145 Northern Pike and 12 Smallmouth Bass between both boats. John Meyer and Jake had a BIG day as John caught his first Muskie ever and Jake caught his first Master Anglers Award Smallmouth. John and Dan also caught Master Anglers Award Smallmouth Bass all being 18 to 18.5-inches. They could hardly believe the fishing day they had when talking about it at suppertime, and all decided to call it a day and rest that evening after supper. Three days go by fast and this last day they met up with very windy conditions with showers on and off all day. This made fishing more difficult, however all caught fish with Todd, Dan, and John catching 8 Northern Pike, 8 Smallmouth Bass, and Dan caught two Muskie in the 34 and 35-inch range. WOW, two Muskie in one day is a great fishing feat. John and Jake did better with numbers, with John alone catching 21 Smallmouth Bass despite the strong winds. All had loads of fun, made many father and son memories, and hope to return in the future. Thanks for choosing Fireside Lodge to spend your special father and son time together.

Make Sure to Read Part 1 of this weeks Fishing Report

Make sure to go to our website listed below to see the 2009 Photos

Hot Lures of The Week: Dardevle Spoons, Blue Fox Spinner, X-Rap, Mepps Spinner, Beatle Spin, Tiny Torpedo, White Jig

Catches of the Week: Two 20.5-inch Smallmouth Bass, 40-inch Muskie, 38-inch Muskie, three 38-inch Northern Pike

Hot Flies of the Week: Flash Tail Whistler

Please note that we have a “NEW” email address below.

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

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