By: Travis

Travis — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 23:57:07 +0000

Highly recommend. Went there over 15 years ago and had a great time, recently returned and to my surprise, all of the qualities we loved: private lake, great fishing, awesome staff (the owner and his wife LOVE their jobs and the girls who work in the kitchen / serve the tables are the most positive, engaging people I have seen at such a remote resort), no technology distractions, great lunches to eat on the lake...were still there, and the things they have changed: new cabins, solid boats and new motors each year that are in great condition, and a private lake...have all raised the bar / beaten expectations. Oh, and it has very, very good fishing. (The fact that it is a catch, photograph, and release lake system helps.) Overall - take this simple advice: Go. You will be VERY happy that you did. We were.

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By: Paul L

Paul L — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 12:50:13 +0000

Fireside Lodge is a drive-to fishing resort 175 miles northeast of International Falls MN. The owners, Alan and Audrey Brandys, keep the resort in excellent shape and strive to make each visit the best possible. The expansive website provides information and many pictures, so there are no surprises about the quality of the resort, services or fish caught. I have been going for ten years, so I know the pictures are real. Fireside Lodge has a capacity of about 30 anglers, so with 8 lakes accessible, you can have great fishing. It is the only resort on Little Vermillion Lake, which covers 5500 acres, and has the depth, structure and forage to support trophy muskies, northern pike and smallmouth bass. You cannot get lost on the long narrow lake, and Alan provides an excellent map, marking depth contours and hazards. With few private cabins and one campground on Little Vermillion you see few boats. You can steer your boat through creeks to three uninhabited lakes, Cedarbough, Maskinonge or Hooch, where even fewer boats are seen. Lastly, you can walk with rods and tackle to four lakes (Terry, Booger, George, Closs), at each of which Alan keeps an equipped boat, guaranteeing you are the only fishermen on the lake. By fishing weed beds for pike and rock piles and shores for smallmouth, you can catch abundant pike to 30 inches or 12-18 inch smallmouth bass. When conditions are favorable, you can catch these fish as fast as you can land them and resume fishing. Catching the trophies requires being more selective in locations and presentations. When you arrive at Fireside Lodge, Alan explains the lake and its fishing. More importantly, Alan is available at every breakfast and dinner for instruction on locations, lures and presentations. His friendliness and humor make you want to stay and swap stories, instead of going out fishing. You can read in the websites weekly reports that trophy fish are regularly caught. The reports don't tell you where or how the fish were caught, but Alan will tell you, when you talk to him in the morning and evening. All in all, the people, facilities, and the fishing make Fireside Lodge an outstanding choice. Add in the lakes, eagles, loons, moose, and other natural beauty and the trip will be memorable. Fireside Website: http://www.firesidelodgefishing.com/ Location on Google Earth: N 50° 01' 19" W 92° 04' 38"

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Fishing
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Comments on: Fireside Lodge Reviews

By: Travis

By: Paul L