Great Fishing for Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Whitefish, and Muskie!

    fishing adventure awaits

    Smallmouth Bass are caught and released in large numbers throughout the year. Often, 3 to 4 pound Smallies are caught and 4 to 5 pounders are not uncommon. Guests at Fireside Lodge release Smallmouth Bass over 5 pounds every year. Although Smallmouth Bass will change their location during seasonal fluctuations, the consistency of the catch does not change for our guests. The practice of catch-and-release has kept our Smallmouth Bass fishing of premium quality, hard to be matched anywhere in North America.

    Northern Pike: Little Vermilion is known for its large-bodied Pike. Because of its cold deep water and excellent forage, Northern Pike grow rapidly and develop a healthy body. Many Pike are hooked every year that weigh between Incredible Northern Pike Fishing! 10 to 15 pounds. A number of our guests have released Pike between 15 to 20 pounds, and there are pictures of over 20-pounders every year. Then there are those that got away...?

    Muskie: our lake system is unique to most in this category. Little Vermilion Lake is connected by creeks to three lakes that are Muskie Sanctuaries and were closed to fishing from the 1930's to 1993. These lakes are now opened under special regulations. This natural hatchery, coupled with its great forage, structure, and deep cold water, has conditions to fulfill any fisherpersons' dreams. Little Vermilion not only has numbers of Muskie but holds very large fish. One guest's best day on the lake is 14 Muskie. That's in just one boat. All released! In fact many Muskies were caught, some very large, every one released. Yes, even the whoppers!

    Whitefish: Little Vermilion has an abundance of this often overlooked species. Being flat, football shaped, and silvery white in color, they usually roam our waters in schools. Average size is 1 to 5 pounds with the potential growth of over 10 pounds. Locating Whitefish is sometimes a challenge, but when met under proper conditions you'll be rewarded with fast action and fabulous fun. Whitefish caught on light tackle are very scrappy; similar to Smallmouth Bass.

    Great Fishing? Yes-Yes-Yes!!!

    This goes hand-in-hand with fisheries management. At Fireside Lodge we manage all four portage lakes as catch & release only. Little Vermilion and Cedarbough Lakes are managed as conservation lakes and Maskinonge, Hooch, and Cloudlet are catch & release; barbless hooks only. This gives every Fireside Lodge guest the best possible opportunity to have the fishing trip of their life. Fireside Lodge guests catch many fish and very large fish too. Just about everyone fishing in these lakes has experienced the fishing day or catch of their lifetime. Many have had both. After all this is what we all go on a fishing trip for. To give some examples:

    130 Smallmouth caught in 6 hours, over half; 15 to 18", the largest 19.5" - Little Vermilion
    Check Out The Muskie Fishing! 38 Northern Pike caught in 1 day, the largest 20 pounds - Booger Lake
    61 Smallmouth caught in 1 day, 50% between 16 to 20" - Closs Lake
    150+ Smallmouth caught in 1 day; many over 16" - Little Vermilion
    5 Muskie caught in 1 day, largest 44", smallest 38" - Cedarbough
    13 Muskie caught in 1 day - Closs Lake
    101 Muskie caught, 150+ follows 18 people, 5 days - All Lakes
    4 Northern Pike caught between 39-40", 1 person, 1 day
    14 Muskie caught, 1 week, 8 over 40", smallest 38" - Little Vermilion
    51 Northern Pike caught in one day - Little Vermilion
    96 Smallmouth caught in 4 hours all 13 to 20" - Little Vermilion
    115 Northern Pike caught in 1 day - Terry Lake
    3 Muskie caught in 1 day; 46", 38" and 40" - Little Vermilion
    7 Muskie caught, 50+ follows in 1 day; one 42" - Cedarbough
    30 Pike, 40 Bass caught in one day - Little Vermilion

    Again, these are just a small sample of what some of our guests experienced while fishing at Fireside Lodge.

    Sioux Lookout's Master Anglers Awards

    2007 marked the 15th year of Fireside Lodge's Master Anglers Award Program. Pike Fishing This Program awards guests for the release of fish species of certain size. Qualifying sizes were as follows: Smallmouth Bass, 18" or larger; Northern Pike, 40" or larger; and Muskie, 44" or larger. Each angler who caught a fish of qualifying size received a very attractive patch and certificate, and will have the privilege of having their name printed up in a brochure which will be available for distribution. We are proud that Fireside Lodge guests fishing on our lake system received over 325 Master Anglers Awards! Wow! That is a lot of big fish caught and released in one season. What's great is all the fish are back in the water and will be bigger for the 2008 participants in the Fireside Lodge Master Angler Awards Program.

    2008 Fishing Season: May 17th to September 13th

    Smallmouth Bass

    Special Seasons and Regulations

    Muskie season opens June 21st
    Closs Lake is open to fishing on June 21st
    Maskinonge, Hooch, and Cloudlet are open to fishing on June 21st
    Maskinonge, Hooch, Cloudlet, and all portage lakes are catch & release only
    Maskinonge, Hooch, and Cloudlet are barbless, and artificial lures with one hook only
    All guests fish under Conservation Regulations only

    Remember "The Future of Fishing is in Your Hands."

    Curious about our guest's fishing experiences throughout the 2007 season? Of course you are. That's why we have included our fishing report depicting time of year against our guest's catches. Remember that all these fish were released so this in turn increases your opportunity as a Fireside guest to experience the same fabulous fishing. The information was attained randomly from Fireside Lodge guests at the end of their fishing day. They are a sampling of experiences. There are many, many more!

    Ontario Fishing Adventures! Size of fish? We figured that would be your next question. At Fireside Lodge our guests catch a lot of large fish. As stated before, Fireside Lodge guests accounted for 325 Master Angler Awards. Check this out:

    Smallmouth Bass: many caught are 15 to 18". This is a great-sized Smallie. A lot caught are between 18 and 20". Largest caught was 25". What a monster.

    Northern Pike: commonly are 28 to 36". Over 40"ers are released every year. Largest caught was 48".

    Muskie: 32 to 42" are common and many guests have caught this size. We have catches between 43 to over 50" every year. The largest since our tenure is 54".

    What a Catch ... And Release, Of Course! Fireside Lodge
    For additional information and reservation contact:

    Fireside Lodge
    Box 218
    Sioux Lookout
    Ontario, Canada
    P8T 1A3
    Phone 807-737-1919

    Call toll free 1-800-545-0815 or send email to firesidel@aol.com

    Additional Services | Multi-Lake System
    Fly Fishing | Canadian Wilderness Adventure
    2007 Fishing Report | Rates

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