New Photos from the Mississauga Firefighters

The firefighters from Mississauga sent us these photos today. This is Gary Green's 52 inch muskie caught at the Free Flow Channel on a black jig and worm.

More 2006 photos

1] Wally Topa with a nice walleye. 2] Runners up 2006 Pettry bass tourney. 3] Cory's muskie 2005. I also got word from Todd that a 52 inch muskie was caught by one of the Mississauga firefighters that are in camp. I will try to post a photo when I return Thursday night.

A few photos from the season

Here are a few photos I just got developed. The 1st photo is a 31 inch walleye caught by Jim Jordan. The 2nd photo is the winning team,( Bob & Mike), of the Pettry Bass tournament. The final photo is from Dean Danielson holding a nice "EYE" he caught on a Fishbelly plastic bait.

Merics Update.

Jason's fish came on a BIG GAME TWITCH. Custom painted. I will let Jay decide if he wants the color known. They also caught 12 pike yesterday.

Stay tuned!

JASON MERICS SCORES AGAIN!

Jason and Roger Merics caught five muskie in camp this week. At the end of their trip, just when Jason was about to call it quits and head in for the week, he snagged a huge 51 inch muskie. The winds shifted again this morning, back to the east with cloud cover for most of the day. These were the same conditions that brought in last week's 57-incher....east winds, late September???

Another great fish Jay!!

WEEK IN REVIEW

September 18-21

Things are slowing down in camp as we head in to the end of the season. The weather for the entire week has been damp and cold with west winds and several overnight frosts. Surface temperature is 61 degrees.
-The Jordans did have some luck this week -- it was Tom Jordan who caught a 48 inch muskie, Tuesday just before dark, on a chartreuse bucktail.
-The Merics have continued their muskie streak throughout the week, managing two nice fish at 33 and 32 inches.
-Today, Chip Hall, with the Steffan group, caught a 31 inch pike. (pictures not in yet)

The wait is over!

We've finally received a couple pictures in digital format:

Matt Fussner's first musky, THE 57" (Lunge Lodge) RECORD!

Which was safely returned to the waters of the Upper French River!

Saturday, September 16th, 2006

A new week has begun at camp and although Musky Madness is over, the muskie remain at the top of the catch list. We have two father/son muskie hunting teams in camp this week. Even though the Mardis' only managed a few pike today, Jason Merics caught a fat 46 incher on a hellhound and had several other follows. Our friend Dean Danielson is in camp for the week. Dean is a sales rep for Fishbelly Lures and he has had great luck so far with some real nice pike and a few small mouth bass on a Helix Ninja Buzz.

Special Reports: - water temperatures are down to 64 degrees at surface
- winds have switched to the west after nine days of east winds

2006 Musky Madness Summary

The overall tournament was a huge success! The pre-tournament started out with a bang, with the largest fish in our records being caught at 57 inches by Matt Fussner. Dozens of fish in the 40 inch class were caught prior to the tournament days. Despite 7 days of east winds, heavy cloud cover was the key. Mother Nature threw us a turn on Wednesday however, with east winds and no clouds. During the actual tournament, fish were still following the bait but were reluctant to strike. Numerous follows and short strikes were the theme of the tournament. A few sub-legal fish were landed and at least 7 fish were hooked and lost. Today, the Chieffo group landed 4 pike over 34 inches and there were many other notable pike caught during tourney days. In closing, we would like to thank our dockboys' band, Swelter, for the great entertainment. Last, but not least, we extend our congratulations to Mike Petras for winning Musky Madness 2006.

Musky Madness Leader Board

The prelude has been so much better than the tournament! According to Mike, only 2 sub-legal muskies were reported caught on Thursday, and nothing so far today (as of 5pm).

Last night's party, "was a blast", according to one observer.

At this time, the 37" fish caught Wednesday by Mike Petras stands as the leader going into the final hours of Musky Madness.

Results will be posted later tonight, or by midday tomorrow.

We had no luck getting the 57" record fish published, but check back later this weekend, we promise to get at least one picture posted.

End of Day 1 - Musky Tournament

Day one proved to be more difficult than previous practice days. The Pettry group managed to raise 14 muskies today, hooking two and losing both. Scott Chieffo also hooked and lost two fish.
Mike Petras (37") and Tom Albertini (34") were the only ones who managed to land muskies today, the largest being 37 inches. Congratulations to Michael Petras on winning the first day of Musky Madness!

2 nice bass from the tues. bass tourney

"I caught you a delicious bass"

Walleye on a Spinnerbait?

Has anyone ever heard of a walleye being caught on a spinnerbait? Well Matt 'Goat' Cannon accomplished the feat Tuesday, during the Pettry-Lunge Lodge Bass Open.

Goat's fish tipped the scales at 6lbs. even and measured 24 ½ inches!
Nice catch Matt! Did you lip it like a bass?

Musky Madness Leader Board

Final Day one results

Name/Measurement/Date Caught/Release
Mike ‘Tras’ Petras 37” Wed 9/13 4pm Good*$
Tom ‘Teeny’ Albertini 34” Wed 9/13 Strong


*Wednesday winner
**Thursday leader
***Friday Leader
$ Overall leader

PETTRY-LUNGE LODGE OPEN BASS TOURNAMENT

September 12th, 2006
10 boats entered this year's first open. The morning was cold with an 8th straight day of east winds. Most of the day was cloudy with showers toward the end of the tournament. Todd and I fished, and we had both the best and the worst day. Nets were allowed and we forgot ours! Of course, we lost 3 nice fish at the boat and learned our lesson. Mike Pettry and Bob Collins won the tournament with a 4 fish limit of just over 11 pounds (all Largemouth's). Steve Pettry and Dan Pettry finished 2nd with 4 nice smallies weighing in at 10.16. The team of Joe Pettry and Brett Mcwilliams won Big Fish with a 4.06 Smallie.

The Muskie Tourney starts on Wednesday. Stay tuned! The action has been great so far! Today Scott Chieffo Hooked 4 Muskies and landed 2, a 46" and a 50". The 50 weighed in at 38 pounds and the photo (as shown) is impressive! I asked him what he used and "small children" and "on the river", was all I could pry from him. If the winds start coming from the west, we may just see an Ontario record!

NOTES: Surface Temp 66 degrees. The 2 bear hunters in Camp have seen 4 bears and are waiting for the Big one!

Update on Lunge Lodge record-breaking muskie

After returning from their evening fishing, we caught up with Matt Fussner and Brendan Breen on the incredible muskie catch of the year. They were fishing over 15ft waters with scattered cabbage weed. The muskie was caught casting, while working rock structure and net man, Brendan, "thought it was a Sturgeon". After a ten minute battle, Brendan netted the fish. Once netted, the muskie was Boga'd for weight and measurement. The 30lb Boga bottomed-out. "From lip to tip of tail at 57 inches", says Brendan. The muskie was then photographed and released. To date, this is the biggest muskie caught in our records. Congratulations Matt!

September 10, 2006

Despite hard east winds, and our first true Canadian coldfront, the first day of Musky Madness started out with a bang. For starters, as Tony previously mentioned, Matt Fussner caught, photographed and released a huge 57" muskie. Truly impressive photos soon to come. The Pettry group also had a great start to the week landing two muskies, measuring in at 42 and 26 inches. Gary Messner had his first muskie experience today, reeling in a 36 incher while his boat partner, Mr. Chapman, also managed to accumulate a couple of nice pike on Rattletraps. Scott Chieffo had a great day on the water nailing a 14" pike and a 38" muskie at dark. Even though it's early in the week, things seem to be heating up quickly. Keep yourselves posted to find out what the rest of Musky Madness will deliver...

September 10th Report

My son Michael, and his party of 5 arrived in camp Saturday afternoon to bright blue skies and strong east winds. They managed to get geared up and on the water for a couple of hours before dinner and the #1 Ohio State vs. #2 Texas game.

Tras, as my son is known, and his partner ‘Teeny’, caught several nice pike. Both were using 2 3/8" Bagley Balsa B's in Firetiger.

Meanwhile, a third member of the group, Matt Fussner, experienced a follow on a Lindy M/G Spinnerbait. It was tidings of good things to come, as ‘Fuzz’ hooked into and landed, with the help of his partner, Brendan, a 57” (21 ¼” girth) musky while casting, the very next day (today). This is Matt’s first musky, and what a prize! She bottomed out his 30lb. Boga Grip. Pictures are soon to follow. Congratulations, Matthew!

No one told Matt he wasn’t supposed to catch the babes before the tournament, just find out where they live – how’s he going to do it again during the three days of Musky Madness? Stay tuned for developments…

Fine place to spend a night

I wanted to give a plug for a really nice hotel we used on our last trip. We left Cleveland on the Friday before we were to arrive at Lunge Lodge, and since the camp was full, we needed a place to crash before continuing on Saturday morning.

Usually, we stay in Parry Sound at either the Jolly Roger, Comfort, or the new Microtel - but that leaves you 2+ hours from Riverview Marina the next morning.

There's a great little place in Britt, ON called "St. Amant Waterfront Inn". It's exactly 61 miles to the marina from there! They've got about 20 rooms; a single room with a Queen-size bed is $75 (Canadian) or two double beds for $90 (Canadian). Call "Larry" at (705) 383-2434 for reservations. They lock up at about 8pm - so you have to arrive early enough to check in.

There is a nice restaraunt and bar on the premises - Joan was our hostess/server and she was great.

Breakfast isn't served until 8am, so we took off around 7:30 and ate in Noelville, ending up at the dock by 9:30.

September 5th Report

Musky Madness is on tap for next week, Wednesday through Friday (9/13-9/15). There’s a $50 per person entry fee that is used for cash prizes and a celebration party on Friday night. Prizes are awarded each day for the largest fish caught and released (digital photos preferred, but honor system is also used). Daily prizes average $300 (depending on the total purse), with a bonus paid to the largest fish of the three-day event, which includes more cash -and- a 7-day trip package!

This year, a bass tournament is also planned for Tuesday, 9/12 -- $20 per boat entry fee, winner take all!

The Weather is changing, thanks in part to hurricane Ernesto, but also because fall is approaching fast. It’s been colder, wet, and surface temps are down to 68º.

Rick Brackvogel is in camp and caught a 14# pike trolling a Shad Rap. Picture to follow soon.

The Petersons went out with Musky Bob and reported hooking and losing 2 muskies on Musky Hound bucktails – an old-style lure no longer in production!

Dave Lapp was successful on his bear hunt, taking a boar approaching 200 pounds on August 31st. Four more hunters will be in camp next week – reports on this will follow, too.

September 2,2006

Ken Ray wanted you to know how his week finished out. Ken and his fishing partner, Donald managed to land four nice muskies and also had 11 follows. Their muskies were caught and followed on black Eagle Tails and Pikie Minnows. He also managed to reel in a 14lb. pike on a black #5 Mepps.
Tony,
Thanks again for your daily reports over the last week. Keep up the great work!
Mike

September 1st Report

Well, the week ended without a musky catch to report. I did manage a 22” 4lb. Walleye on an old 1 ½ ounce blue/silver spoon from my Dad's old tackle box. That fish fought like a brute!

I forgot how much fun an 'eye can be when caught casting a lure. I caught it by Keystone shoal in 38 ft. of water just letting the spoon flutter, and then raising it up like a jig.

At 4pm, ½ hour before we called it a trip, I had what turned out to be only my second follow of the week. I was “grinding” an ERC Grinder through some heavy milfoil and she appeared really interested until I started the figure 8. What we think was that same fish, followed Sid’s Hellhound about 5 minutes later. She was tracking right behind the lure as it was doing it’s walk-the-dog routine, but she turned off about 20 ft. from the boat. Oh well, that’s musky fishing!

We had a great time, the food was outstanding – Mary outdid herself yet again. The ‘Porketta’ was terrific, and the Wednesday shore lunch dinner was awesome.

My son and his friends will be up in two weeks for “Musky Madness”. We’ll do our best to keep the reports coming.