The Lunge Lodge

A NEW Lunge Lodge Reports Site!

2009-01-31T23:57:00.002-05:00

Hey folks. Thanks for being a loyal visitor of the Lunge Lodge Reports site. Because of your patronage, we decided to develop a "New & Improved" Reports site.

At the New Lunge Lodge Reports Site you can add fishing and hunting reports, upload your favorite photos, add videos, participate in discussions, chat with other members, and much, much more.

Just connect to the New Lunge Lodge Reports Site and click "Sign Up" near the top-right of the screen. Click here to begin.

New contest

2008-09-24T12:11:00.008-04:00

Lunge Lodge should consider a new tournament; heck, if the Oberto Redfish Cup can be made to be popular, a French River Sheepshead tourny could be just the ticket!

Mike Petras with an 11lb Fresh Water Drum (Sheepshead) caught on a Musky Innovations Chatterbait.

9/13 - 9/19 Report

2008-09-21T14:08:00.003-04:00

With the exception of a couple days, the muskie fishing was very tough to say the least during the week. Still we managed a couple good ones and a few shorties that didn't make the photo session cut. The muskie we did move all came from secondary channel shallow coontail/rock structure. Surface temps ranged from 62 -66.

As a bonus I nabbed a couple good ones of the "lesser" species.

Thanks again to the staff at Lunge Lodge for another great stay.

Jay & Roger Merics

Eskerod Signs

2008-09-16T14:08:00.006-04:00

Hi Mike, Linda and Todd

Once again, Nancy and I had a fantastic time. Please let everyone in your employ know that they are the reason we will keep coming back.I have included photos of our stay, once again we got into a couple of Freshwater Drums, 6.5 lbs and 10 lbs. and the smallies were non stop.
The photos include largemouth about 2lbs and the smallmouth were 2.5lbs to 3.5 lbs.
We released 3 Northerns in the 3-4lb range and Nancy lost the only Walleye we had seen or felt that week at the boat. It was in the 5-6lb range.

Anyway it was a blast.

Regards
Marv Ostopovich

Eskerod Signs
682 McKay Street, Unit 2
Kingston, Ontario K7M-7G2

5th Annual Pettry Invitational Results!!

2008-09-09T19:17:00.004-04:00

1st Place Again!!Bob Collins and Mike Pettry !! Weighed in a 3.5 lb average.Joe and Steve Pettry finished 2nd with some impressive Largemouths!

Team Breen finished third with more Largemouths !!!!!

Bob and Mike Smith write...

2008-09-06T11:34:00.007-04:00

Here are some photos from our recent bear hunt. We would like to thank Mike, Todd and Jake for all their hard work to make this a trip to remember for years to come. Jake worked like a madman to put us on bears.

It paid off for both of us. I saw 10 different bear and Mike saw 7 or 8 bear.

We also caught some nice small mouth.
Our thanks goes out to the entire staff at the lodge. We had a great time and can't wait to get back up next year.

Thanks Again!

Bob and Mike Smith

Another guest writes

2008-09-06T11:24:00.006-04:00

Mike, Linda, Todd, and everyone at Lunge Lodge,

My dad and I want to extend our thanks for a most enjoyable week this past August '08 at Lunge Lodge. This was the first bear hunt for us, and Ed Kickler (a "regular" at your Lodge) was kind enough to bring us with him on his most recent trip. We found that Jake was very helpful, and informative, as our bear guide. We were also able to work some fishing into our schedule, and even got to watch a pre-season Steelers game in the Lodge with two other bear hunters who were there for the week (who also ended up being from the Burgh!). We have some great bear video footage that we will send to you. To see some pictures from our stay, go to: http://upperfrenchrivercanada.shutterfly.com/
I want to personally add that Mary was a great cook and it was much appreciated that she went out of her way to accommodate my lacto-vegetarian eating habits.

We are very hopeful that you are able to offer bear hunts next year, as my dad and I are eager to return with Ed. In closing, thanks again and hope to see you all again next year!

Sincerely,

Keri L. Rodriguez, PhD
James A. Rodriguez

PHOTOS

2008-09-05T08:17:00.003-04:00

DAVID AND DARLENE MULBY WITH A 48" LIVE RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

2008-09-04T14:22:00.002-04:00

From the French River Times:

The small community of Lunge Lodge anxiously awaits this coming weeks MUSKIE MADNESS Tournament. While the Mukie competition is going to be intense, there is also excitement over the 5th annual Pettry bass tournament that is held the day before the musky competition begins. The Lunge Lodge pro Staff team has been practicing hard the last few weeks and they are beaming with confidence. An unnamed competitor even went as far to say that last years winners will probably choke!! Yes, this reporter did not have to look hard for "smack talk" from the Lunge Lodge pro staff! "There is something in the air in Ohio that stunts a fishermans brain development". " Those boys from Ohio just got lucky last year". " Heck, rumor is that the big fish they weighed came from a farm pond in Akron, but don't quote me on that". Stay tuned for more updates and outrageous quotes. Things here are really heating up!

NEW PHOTOS

2008-09-04T14:08:00.006-04:00

YES, THE HOOK COLLECTOR LIVES! WE TOOK THIS UNDERWATER PHOTO A FEW DAYS AGO. SHE ACTUALLY CAME OUT FROM UNDER THE DOCK AND ATTACKED THE CAMERA. I THINK THIS FISH SHOULD BE OFF LIMITS FOR TUESDAYS TOURNAMENT. YOUR THOUGHTS? JOYCE WITH A NICE SMALLMOUTH
JAKE POSING WITH A NICE BEAR THE SMITH BROTHERS HARVESTED

ED KICKLER TOOK THIS PHOTO WHILE HUNTING WITH US LAST WEEK

Jim Mariano's week

2008-09-04T06:52:00.006-04:00

Jim Mariano caught three muskies on his recent visit to Lunge Lodge, the previously posted 38 incher, this hefty 51" (his personal best),

and a 25" 'juvi'. Jim fished out of a Lunge Lodge boat by himself for most of the week, relegating himself to musky hunter, self-lander, and photographer all in one!

Congratulations on your personal best, Jim! What a great week...

Dave Harvey Group

2008-09-01T15:13:00.005-04:00

Here are the pictures you asked me to send. Thanks again for a great week. Hope these help out.

Pictures from the Smith's 2008 visit

2008-09-01T14:59:00.008-04:00

Our guests write

2008-09-01T14:37:00.009-04:00

Mike and Linda,

Just wanted to say thanks again for another great time at Lunge Lodge. The boys had a blast. The bear we saw was a real treat for us and the boys enjoyed bass fishing with their buddies, swimming with Junior (Gub's dog),and waiting for the snake and turtle to appear each day. We had some big fish hooked and some really big fish swim by so we have plenty of fish stories to share.

The bear and the big bass look great on the web-site.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the week. We will see you at the rink this winter.

Take care and thanks again.

The Huberts

Tony & Sid wrap up

2008-08-29T18:54:00.008-04:00

The morning started out promising: cloudy, a good chop, and comfortable temps. We fished hard with nothing to show until about 12:30 when Sid hooked into this nice pike. Shortly after he landed it, I caught one too. We felt things were changing for the better.

Within a few minutes, I latched onto this 3.5 lb smallmouth; it hit a Llungen DC-8 and things were really looking good.

On a main channel shoal, Sid locked horns with his first musky - the fight lasted about 3 minutes before it went airborne, summersaulting and throwing his homemade bucktail, "Skunky", a white and black maribou with a number 8 nickel Colorado blade. I was devastated for Sid, but I managed to catch this picture of him mid-battle.

Then it got really hairy! Casting a 10" Suick, within yards of Sid's encounter, I hooked into my biggest musky to date. This 49.5 inch behemoth battled hard and after what Sid just went through, the only thing on my mind was to get it in the net - and - get it in the net we did - or I should say Sid did, the world's greatest net man!

After the release, we headed to a shoal where we raised a fish earlier in the week.

Sid latched onto another one, only to lose it after a quick tussel - oh well, it happens...

We had one tremendous week and once again, our hats off to Lunge Lodge. Todd, Mike, Linda, Mary, JoAnn, and Veronica - you are the best! See you next year.

Tony & Sid

Virzi-Mariano Update

2008-08-28T17:10:00.006-04:00

Nick Virzi landed his second biggest musky to date, this 39 incher was caught trolling a Double Cowgirl just before lunch:

Jim Mariano's 38" caught on a Leo Lure Sunday night:

Nick's camera caught the release of Jim's 51 inch beast. Catch photos will hopefully follow next week.

A great day continues

2008-08-27T22:12:00.007-04:00

After dinner we hit a main channel rock shoal and hooked into this 33 1/2" tussler. This fish faught really hard and it took Sid three tries to net it. It obviously didn't want to be caught!It was a quick and easy release because this guy was feisty.

We had made up our minds to clear the deck before we went out, limiting ourselves to two rods, so we could try our hand at night fishing.

I was slow-rolling a Bucher Slop Master and made my first turn on the figure eight when this 5 lb Walleye slammed it! Tomorrow calls for showers, and possible thunder storms - musky weather for sure!

More pics of our Trip last week

2008-08-27T19:06:00.003-04:00

Thanks again to the staff at Lunge Lodge for another enjoyable stay. See you in September.

Tony & Sid days 3, 4, and 5

2008-08-27T18:14:00.008-04:00

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were gorgeous, as far as weather goes: bright blue skies and wispy clouds with temps in the upper 70's. But, as anybody who's searched for muskies on the French knows, that type of weather doesn't bode well for the musky hunter.

Not to be outdone, though, Sid and I managed to find pike, with some bass mixed in now and then.

Another guy in camp, Jim Mariano, landed a musky last night in the dark, trolling a 'Wicked Mojo'. The fish measured out at 51", but his camera card can't be read by the universal card reader! Jim works in Shaker Hts. and he promises to get me the pictures so I can post them once I get home.

We're headed out for a nite bite ourselves, so check for a post tomorrow!

Gub's Stringer

2008-08-27T18:11:00.002-04:00

Gub Atkinson's been on a work/fish "vacation" at the Lodge for the past 7 weeks. Too bad for Gub, there's more work to do than time to fish, but he got out Tuesday night with Todd and the pair caught this nice stringer of three under and one over the slot. The big girl is 24" long and made for some tasty filets for Gub and his wife Joyce.

Sid & Tony

2008-08-25T06:07:00.005-04:00

Saturday, August 23

We arrived in camp before noon, got checked in, ate lunch, got our gear together and headed out by 1pm. Several spunky, jumping pike in the 20-25 inch range attacked our lures throughout the afternoon.

Fortunately, we decided to head in for dinner just ahead of a torrential downpour that soaked the landscape.

After dinner, we hit the area where I had previously caught my largest musky and found her sister in about 8 ft of water. She nailed a Bass Pro Shops jointed Laser Eye crankbait and stayed down, providing some vicious headshakes.

The camera’s flash was somehow disabled, so the pictures came out a little dark and had to be lightened using PhotoShop, but you can make out the 42” gal’s girth.The fish was still hot when landed and was easily released to battle another day.

Sunday, August 24

Sid and I made our morning milk run, from Lunge Lodge Rock back and somewhere in between I hooked into a 25inch ‘hybrid’ that put up a great fight. It hit the same lure I used the night before.

After breakfast we headed up the main channel to a reef that’s known to hold muskies. Four casts into it, this 44 inch beast inhaled a black Hi Fin bucktail, making two violent surface headshakes along the way. Like the day before’s fish, this one was netted quickly and swam away after her photo shoot.

BREAKING NEWS !!!!

2008-08-21T11:25:00.012-04:00

THE LUNGE LODGE LARGE MOUTH RECORD HAS BEEN BROKEN!!!! AFTER MANY ATTEMPTS THE "HOOK COLLECTOR" WAS CAUGHT BY JIM BLACK. THE FISH WAS MEASURED AND SEVERAL OLD HOOKS AND A STEEL LEADER WERE REMOVED. THE FISH MEASURED 22" AND HAD A HUGE GIRTH. ESTIMATED WEIGHT 6-7 LBS.
MADISON AND CODY BLACK POSE WITH THE "HOOK COLLECTOR"

A GREAT BEAR PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HUBERT FAMILY

SOME LUNGE LODGE ROCK JUMPING!!!!

LIAM WITH ANOTHER NICE BASS CAUGHT ON TOP WATER

JAY AND ROGER ARE AT IT AGAIN!

2008-08-13T16:13:00.012-04:00

Sorry about the lack of new posts. Windows Vista and dial up do not mix well. Thanks to John Tanners expertise we seem to be back on line. The weather remains cool with more rain than usual. The water surface temp. is 74 degrees. The theme of august has been big bass and the muskies are starting to turn on. Walleye fishing has slowed but they can still be caught on the main river reefs. Muskie fisherman, look out if we get some stable weather. Reports of tons of follows lead me to believe that things are ready to explode.

Ben Rohde 40"
Nice pike!

First muskie!

Dave Kelleogh 40"

Tony Panoff with a 50" and a clean release

Doug with the Tanner group with his first muskie

Teagan Cheiffo

Liam ONeill and Hayden Cheiffo with some nice large mouth

Linda with a 19 inch smally

Ben Bernhard with a nice Large Mouth. His Pap caught a monster large mouth but unfortunately I am having trouble posting the photo

LODGE UPDATE

2008-07-19T11:37:00.005-04:00

COOL WEATHER CONTINUES TO PREVAIL. SURFACE WATER TEMPS ARE STILL IN THE LOW 70S.

TERRY HUTCHINSON WITH A 20" SMALLMOUTH ED KICKLER HOLDING A NOTHER NICE SMALLMOUTH
KENNY THOMPSON

AISLINN ONEILL POSING WITH AAN 18 INC LARGE MOUTH

LODGE UPDATE

2008-07-14T10:55:00.002-04:00

ANDREA HENRY SHOWS THAT EVEN A SHEEP HEAD NEEDS LOVE
SNAPPER THAT WE SNUCK UP ON

25 INCHER"

Liam ONeill with a 18" largemouth he caught in Bobs bay. Look out Pettry and Collins i have a new partner for the bass tounament!

The weather is getting warmer and the suface temp of the water is 73 degrees. The weed beds are developed and the pike can be found in the cabbage weed. We are still catching pike on wood cover. We are still getting a good bit of rain so the river remains at a spring level. This past week the walleye fishing has been average. They are starting to relate to the main river reefs. We are also catching a few in the back channel. We have a few muskie fisherman in camp. Nothing to report yet. The bass fishing has been great. We decided to start a new weekly feature called lures of the week. Todays photo is of 3 bass lures that work well for me. On a side note our fish cleaning hut is open for business and thanks to Harvey Adams and Sheila we have a new roof on the boat house.

Kudos from a guest

2008-07-14T10:07:00.002-04:00

Hello all!

I was looking @ the recent pic's and I was hoping that someone would be able to tell me what the tool Brian Bernhardt was using to hold his fish. I would like to purchase one for our trip next year.

Anthony and I had a GREAT time in June and cannot wait to come back! Gino and I are already planning for sometime in august 09. (But then again Gino will have a new baby, so maybe I'll send him a post card!)

Even though we live on the shores of Lake Erie, and have fantastic fishing here all year long, there's something about the GWN (great white north) and knowing you're only one cast away from "THE BIG ONE" that makes it special.

You guys have a beautiful place and your staff is second to none! Everyone made us feel welcomed and treated us like family.

Have a great year and we wish you nothing but success!

Regards,

Frank E. Dworning

PS. I'm going to send you a couple of FD patches to pin on the Pike!

Roger Merics' Replica Mount

2008-07-13T19:50:00.005-04:00

How's this for a beautiful mount? Roger Merics

Roger's mount was done by Rick Lax at http://www.laxreproductions.com

Thanks from the Finos

2008-07-13T19:46:00.015-04:00

Linda/Mike/Todd

I just wanted to send a quick note to thank you and your team for a great trip. Everyone was great, and you can tell everyone really wanted to insure we had a great time.

Mike is still raving about Mary's cooking! You have a great spot and we can't wait to start planning our next trip!

Enjoy the rest of the summer and fall, regards to the staff. Cheers hope to see you real soon!

Dan & Mike Finos

Mitch Bear - the Sequel

2008-07-13T19:32:00.005-04:00

Mitch Bear still hasn't come down from the high he experienced on his recent trip. He sent these additional scenery pictures, another 'smally' he caught, and he says, ...

..." look at this thing that nailed my Dad's lure which is BIGGER than the fish itself!"

Some nice fish caught last week by the Bernhardt Group

2008-07-07T12:25:00.015-04:00

Brian Bernhardt with a nice 22" Walleye his biggest and last of the trip.

Michelle Bernhardt with a decent Pike

Typical beautiful canadian sunset

1 of 9 walleyes Brian & Todd caught in about 30 minutes one evening

Ashley Ferrell with a nice large mouth caught during shore lunch.

Mike Koski aka "The Mountain of Fear" with a nice Eye. Revenge for the one that got away last year!

A nice 18" bass caught off the dock by Juliette Rayer

15" smally caught by Alex Bernhardt his second one in 5 minutes

Moose Video

2008-07-07T12:16:00.003-04:00

Here is the moose video to go with the pictures captured by the Perryman Group. The moose was seen swimming across 5-Mile Bay.

25" Walleye Video

2008-07-07T12:05:00.004-04:00

A nice 25" walleye caught by Liam O'Neill

2008-07-07T07:38:00.010-04:00

Mitch and Luke Bear came up to the Lodge in June with their Dad.
The brothers boated their first-ever Northern Pike, with Mitch’s going 36 inches!

Side view of Mitch's pike...

Luke's Northern

According to Mitch, they “seriously” caught more than what’s pictured here..

...but their Dad, poor guy (Mitch’s words), only landed one pike.

Mitch added, “We had a great time and we’re hoping to come again, this time with more luck!”

Congratulations, Mitch, and thanks for the pix!

LODGE UPDATE

2008-07-02T10:35:00.004-04:00

We have finally had some dry days and the weather is warming up. The water surface temperature is about 71 degrees. Since the weather has been nice, we have had the opportunity to work on the fish cleaning hut. It is almost complete. If the weather holds up we will also be putting a new roof on the boathouse this week.

Mike Pettry and Bob Collins with their muskies caught and released on their recent trip.

LODGE UPDATE

2008-06-29T13:30:00.007-04:00

TED MCGLAUGHLIN CAUGHT THIS MONSTER YESTERDAY. THE FISH WAS IN 2 FEET OF WATER! THE FISH WAS PHOTOGRAPHED AND RELEASED. NO MEASUREMENT TAKEN. I AM THINKING 50". TED IS 6' 4". EMAIL WITH YOUR GUESS ON LENGTH. LUNGELODGE@AOL.COM

CHUCK AND CHAD PERRYMAN CAUGHT SOME NICE FISH AND TOOK THIS CLOSE UP OF A MOOSE SWIMMING ACROSS 5-MILE BAY.

THE BAUMAN GROUP WAS WITH US FOR 4 DAYS LAST WEEK AND CAUGHT 190 WALLEYES!

Our guests write

2008-06-26T07:02:00.004-04:00

Hi to all at Lunge:

Attached are a couple of pictures from our stay at Lunge.

The Fraziers (Bill, Dean, and Evan) had a great time, and thanks to Gub we landed a few bass.
Thanks to all the staff for their hospitality.

Bill Frazier

MORE PHOTOS 6-21-08

2008-06-21T14:03:00.005-04:00

DAN SHARRER WITH A NICE SMALLIE THE JORDAN GROUP WITH A FEW NICE FISH THEY CAUGHT THIS PAST WEEK

Lunge Lodge Update

2008-06-19T15:02:00.008-04:00

Moira O'Neill taking the plunge and supporting The Pittsburgh Penguins

Ben Dumas taking the dive off of Lunge Rock

The Season is in full Swing. Although cool weather has slowed weed growth the fishing has been good. The water temp is in the upper 60s. A bit low for this time of year. The river is up about 18 inches and continues to rise. Anyone coming in the next 2 weeks should focus on shallow weed beds or fallen trees along the shore line. Pike are being caught on plastic frogs, buzz baits, Tube jigs, and Rapalas. Although Bass season isnt open until the end of the month its almost impossible to keep them off your line! Muskie Season starts this Saturday. We had plenty of reports that they were still spawning as late as last week. In general the season seems to be running about 2 weeks behind.

Justin Sharrer with an 8 lb walleye he caught in 4 feet of water!

Evan Frazier with a nice "Eye"

Bob Collins with a 27 inch walleye he caught on a tube jig in 8 ft of water.

Mike Pettry with a fat smallmouth on his recent trip

Nice Pike that Todd caught in front of the Lodge this winter

Carcioppola Brothers

2008-06-18T19:40:00.005-04:00

Mike apologizes, as computer issues continue to plague the lodge. I talked to him today and they are officially back on line, but the dial up is too slow to send the pictures he's collected so far this year.

Mike says he needs to find some spare time to 'shrink' them to a managable size to post and/or email them.

In the meantime, here are some nice pike photos sent in by Gino and Andy Carcioppola:
If you have pictures from a trip you've made this year and you'd like to share them with our blog readers, email them to TonyPetras@aol.com along with a brief description for a caption.

Oxygen!

2008-06-08T07:47:00.008-04:00

Cold temperatues and swarms of black flies are no deterrent when action like that experienced by Joe Rhyshek, on his recent Memorial Day week trip to Lunge Lodge, occurs. Finding a well-oxygenated back bay where a beaver-damned area overflowed into it, Joe found a variety of game fish were attracted to his chartreuse spinner bait...
Immature musky (caught and released)

Nice smallie!

and another one.

Even largemouth like the current...

...close-up pose.

Thanks for the pics, Joe!

What our guests are saying

2008-06-04T06:17:00.007-04:00

From Scott (and Sam) Mardis:

Hi Mike, Linda, Todd and Mary,

How's everything going at Lunge Lodge? Just wanted you'all to know what a great time I had with my father at Lunge Lodge.
The hospitality is out of this world. I never met such a great bunch of people. Everybody who works at Lunge Lodge are the nicest people I have ever met.

I look forward to coming back in July to do more boards and to seeing the staff again. Just wanted to let you know what a great fishing lodge you have and the people that work there.

I've seen the fishing report. It gets better every day. Tony has done a great job on the lodge's blog too.

See you'all soon.

Thanks again.
P.S. Tell Mary that some of her bars made it back this time. But it was hard.

2nd week update

2008-05-29T09:06:00.019-04:00

Our computer has been a little temperamental, so accessing emails and making new posts will be tough for the next few days.

The walleye fishing is very good right now, with water temps stabilizing at about 52°. My son Liam's got the touch, reeling in a 26" (6lb.) and a 22" last night.

This year's staff additions include mother-daughter kitchen staff/housekeeping team Joann and Sarah:

Sarah (right) and Joann

My neighbor, Matt Jenkins will handle dock duties...

...and other routine chores

Photos from the pre-opening week...

Joe Nuebert, Tiffany, and Mike Steinman re-roof Maple
Sam and Scott Mardis stave off black flies to engrave the buy-a-board planks

Ken Boyer, Gub Atkinson, and Jim Jordan take a break while building the WGFCH

Bernie, Dennis, Rich, and Bob prep the fleet for duty

Spring trip finale

2008-05-26T20:17:00.007-04:00

This year's Spring trip ended much like last year - no behemoths but a lot of fun with smallmouth and largemouth bass in between regular catches of feisty northern pike.

Mike with a typical smallie,

me with typical northern.

If you ever wondered where the rainbow ends, your search is over. The pot-of-gold is nestled safely in the waters of the Upper French River.

Once again, our thanks to Todd and Mike for maintaining the best fishing camp on the planet, as well as to Mary for the great food that keeps us nourished through the many hours of casting.

How is it that walleye guys catch musky?

2008-05-26T19:59:00.003-04:00

Jim Jordan with a nice 40" musky caught on a jig and minnow!

Guide Service

2008-05-26T19:43:00.013-04:00

Jim Jordan and Gub Atkinson took on the task of guiding some long-lost friends from Pittsburgh:

Gub at the helm.

Jim with a nice 'eye...

Followed by a second!

Check out the markings on these pike - beautiful!

Whole Otter Fun!

2008-05-26T19:11:00.004-04:00

The water is a foot or so higher this year, allowing us to navigate to the back end of Satchel's creek for the first time in several years. As we approached the falls, these two guys were caught a little off guard but weren't too concerned by our presence. Maybe they're fans of David Bowie?

Sunshine!

2008-05-22T21:55:00.011-04:00

The skies cleared for most of the day and the fishing picked up along with the sun.

Mike and I found some aggressive smallmouth to go along with the occasional pike.

We had a ball watching two otters in the back end of Satchel's creek, even got some of their antics on video. Once we get home I'll try to post it (the dial up here won't allow a post that big).

The camp is close to full right now with a large group of Walleye guys from Buffalo. Pictures should be coming along soon.

2008 Camp Improvements

2008-05-21T16:18:00.012-04:00

Replacement of the historic L Dock is progressing nicely - it's almost time to make the turn...

The buy-a-board program has been very popular, with Mary claiming the rights to the very first plank. Mary is known to most of you as our hostess and "head chef" and we are thrilled she has taken the lead in our little fund-raising adventure.

Dontations for the program have come from guests both past and present and we thank everyone who has allowed us to remake and preserve this landmark!

Another work-in-progress is the construction of the "World's Greatest Fish Cleaning Hut". This multi-faceted unit will provide our anglers with a covered, lighted, and functional location to carve out the precious filets of walleye, pike, and bass sought from the waters of the French.

Our sincerest thanks to the volunteer workers who helped to get the camp open and functioning, we couldn't have done it without each of you:

Ken Boyer, Lewisberry PA

Jim Jordan, Allison Park PA

Gub Atkinson, Burgettstown, PA

Sam & Scott Mardis, Johnstown, PA

Mike Steinman, Clarence, NY

Joe Nuebert & Tiffany, Clarence Ctr, NY

Bernie, Rich, Dennis, and Bob, St. Catherines, ON

Nice Post, Jay...

2008-05-21T16:00:00.002-04:00

I'm sure it's just a spelling error, surely you mean "Pens" inFive!

First Update of 2008

2008-05-21T15:44:00.009-04:00

It's cold!

Definitely the coldest spring trip in 8 years!

The fish are biting regulary, but we haven't found the big ones.

Rain is falling steadily and Michael's new rainsuit has been baptized daily!

The camp is active and a number of pike have been reported, but pictures are scarce.

A large group is expected tonight and things should really get active tomorrow, in time for the improved weather.

Good luck Pittsburgh.

2008-05-20T11:15:00.002-04:00

You'll need it.......Wings in 5.

Preparations for the Season Opener

2008-05-09T10:45:00.000-04:00

The 2008 Lunge Lodge season officially kicks off Saturday, May 17th! Todd is set to arrive today in advance of the 14-member volunteer work crew. Mary will also be arriving and available to answer the phone at (705) 763-2180.

Mike will remain in Pittsburgh until the 17th and is accessible by phone at (412) 992-7226 or email, LungeLodge@AOL.com.

The all-volunteer work crews expect to address the completion of the “L” dock*, some new roofs, and of course, typical camp opening items such as boat detail, cabin preparations, and repair/maintenance/landscaping activities.

Limited openings are still available; contact Mike this week should you need to confirm a reservation.

*If you haven’t already participated in the “Buy a Board” campaign, please consider placing your mark on the historic Lunge Lodge landmark. The “L” dock has been the foundation of the Lunge Lodge property since the 1940’s and many long time Lunge Lodge guests remember this dock as a great fishing pier, floatplane slip, even a dock for the 60ft Chief Commanda. Constructing a dock of this size is a difficult task and of course the cost can be prohibitive. Small donations have helped to offset the cost and make the project a reality. 100% of the money collected to date has been used on its construction, but we can still use your help. A minimum donation of $20 is all that is needed to put your name, hometown, and date on one of the deck boards. So if you’re interested in helping out, and want to see a lasting legacy of your time at Lunge Lodge, remember to complete the form during your stay. Thank you to all of you who have already contributed and to those of you who will!

Show Season Complete

2008-03-17T07:02:00.005-04:00

The 2008 show season is now over. Mike and Todd report that during and following the Cleveland Show (which ended Sunday March 16th), interest and bookings increased steadily. As it stands now, the last two weeks of June and the first two weeks of July are completely sold out! The opening week (5/17) and the second week of May, as well as the last two weeks of September, have openings. There is scattered availability throughout the remainder of the year. If you haven't already booked your trip, contact Mike at his Pittsburgh office (412) 992-7226 to get your spot reserved. Don't miss out!

Todd expects to head up in Mid-April to begin the process of preparing for the first arriving guests as well as the volunteer work-crews who will be doing some roofing, porch building, and dock work beginning the week of 5/11.

Winter Trip to the Lodge

2008-02-19T10:48:00.002-05:00

Todd just returned from a ice fishing trip to the Lodge. Although there was open water at the mouth of the little French, the area close to the lodge had 18 inches of ice. " The ice was perfect."

Todd and Dave fished for 3 days within site of the lodge. They found most of the fish in 25-35 feet of water. They "caught so many whitefish and cisco's they became a nuisance". On a side note, the French river has some of the biggest White fish in all of North America. A 5 lber is not uncommon. Todd and Dave also caught a number of walleyes and Jumbo Perch. Todd plans on taking another trip between outdoor shows. This time he will focus on pike with bigger baits. Stay tuned.

Passport requirements delayed!

2008-01-03T15:07:00.000-05:00

A recent article posted on Clevelandlive.com announced that the Federal Government is delaying the requirement to present a passport when entering the U.S. until mid-2009. The article also noted that a $45 'limited use' passport will be available for individuals to enter from Canada or Mexico.

Watch Lunge Lodge on TV

2007-12-21T13:49:00.000-05:00

We just received word that the Lodge will be featured on "Hunting with Penns Woods TV" on January 27th. The show will air on FSN Pittsburgh @ 8:30 am.

Lunge Log 2007

2007-12-11T17:26:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe, but we will begin our 10th season this spring. Of course, guest loyalty has played a big role in our success. We cannot thank you enough for your continued support! A lot of exciting things have happened in 10 years and many things have changed. One thing has remained unchanged, the peace and beauty of the French River. It’s what brings us all back year after year.

The 2007 season was packed with excitement and some great fish stories. Thanks to everybody who came up for a work party when the season opened, we got a lot accomplished and managed to get some quality fishing in too. May was colder than average and the Perch and Walleye bite didn’t get hot until the last week. Once June arrived, and the water warmed, the bite was on. There were too many 6-8 lb Walleyes caught to mention them all. One particular fish that comes to mind was a 9.5lb Blue Walleye that was caught by the Harvey Adams group. They also managed a couple other 9lbers during their stay. By the way, we will have the Blue Walleye displayed in the lodge next season. Roger Merics brought in a ten pound Walleye during one of 4 trips he made last season. Once again the Jordan group took advantage of the late June bite and caught numbers of big fish. By the end of June the Bass fishing was in full gear. We had another great Bass season with more and more quality Largemouth caught than ever. We broke last year’s weight record in our September (Pettry), Bass Tournament. The winning team had over a 3lb average, and only one fish was a Largemouth. All the tournament fish were released alive so they can be caught again. David Mulby, Mike Leyh, Roger and Jay Merics, Bob Collins, Mike Pettry, and Cody Black all caught Pike in the 40+ inch range, just to name a few. 12 year old, Cody Black’s catch was special. He hooked his giant Pike from a Kayak! The Pike pulled him around the portage pond for 15 minutes! 2007 was one of our best Muskie seasons. We didn’t beat the 2006, 57inch mark, but plenty of nice fish were caught. Roger Merics topped the list with a beautiful 54’’ Muskie. John Shantz caught two 50” Muskies during our Muskie Madness week, winning the tournament. Brian Bernhardt got a 50” fish, caught and released, on film! With the season winding down, the guys from “Hunting with Penn’s Woods” arrived at camp to film a Bear hunt. Although the week was slow, they managed to film a nice Black bear hunt. Those of you who are lucky enough to get their TV show should look for the Lunge Lodge hunt airing this spring. The show airs Sunday mornings (8:30) on Fox Sports Network.

Our website http://www.lungelodge.net/ continues to be a great source to get weather and fishing conditions as well as most information you need to book a trip. If you haven’t already, check out our reports page with up to date information concerning the lodge. We have over 13,000 hits on this page. Look out Yahoo! Thanks in part to our “Buy a Board” program we began to re-build the L-dock in the front of Camp. Completion is expected by early summer 2008. We also have plans on running a short ice fishing season this winter. We are looking to book trips for the month of February. If you, or anyone you know, likes to Ice Fish please contact us!

Changes for 2008

There are some fishing regulation changes for the 2008 season. You can view these, courtesy of Jay Merics, on our reports page. The Passport issue is still not clear. It’s probably best to play it safe and get one. Sooner or later they will be required. We will not have a rate increase for 2008 but might be forced to add a $25 gas surcharge per boat. We are following the fuel prices closely and hope to have a decision by show time. Speaking of shows, the show dates and locations are also listed on the reports page of our web site.

Once again the Staff at Lunge Lodge thank you for your continued support! We hope that you and your family have a great holiday season. See you on the river.

Winter Contacts:

Phone: (412) 992-7226 New
Lungelodge@aol.com

New fishing Regulations

2007-12-07T10:59:00.000-05:00

The new 2008-2009 fishing regulations summary is now available online http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/MNR/pubs/pubmenu.html#fish . Lake Nipissing/Upper French River are now (starting Jan. 1 2008) in Fisheries Management Zone 11.
Most notable changes are to size/possesion limits on Muskellunge and Northern Pike.
Muskellunge:
Sportsmans License~Limit of 1, must be greater than 122cm (48in.)
Conservation License~None (o)

Northern Pike:
Sportsmans License~Limit of 4, not more than 2 greater than 61cm (24in.), of which not more than 1 is greater than 86cm (33.9in.)
Conservation License~Limit of 2, not more than 1 greater than 61cm (24in), of which none (0) may be greater than 86cm (33.9in.)

2008 Sport Show Schedule

2007-11-24T08:39:00.000-05:00

Show dates for the 2008 Season have been finalized:

The Butler Fishing Show February 9 – 10
Allegheny Sport Show (Pittsburgh) February 13 – 17
Erie Sport & Travel Expo February 29 – March 2
Buffalo Sport & Travel Expo March 6 – 9
Cleveland Sport, Travel & Outdoor Show March 12 – 16

Look for Lunge Lodge at each of these locations and book your 2008 trips in person!

Ice Fishing Video

2007-11-14T09:37:00.000-05:00

GET READY!!!!!!

Want to see Lunge Lodge in the Winter?

Here is a short video that shows some of the things you can expect if you come ice fishing with us.

If you're adventurous and want to participate in the First Annual Ice Fishing Season, contact Mike for more information at (412) 992-7226

Passport info

2007-11-11T16:31:00.000-05:00

Passport requirements are still pending; no final decisions have been announced yet. The most current info available can be found at:

this website

The following is a summary of what you'll find on that page with regard to return travel from Canada:

AIR TRAVEL
Implemented on January 23, 2007, ALL PERSONS traveling by air between the United States and Canada are required to present a passport or other valid travel document to enter or re-enter the United States.

LAND AND SEA TRAVEL
Full information available on the Department of Homeland Security’s website.

· JANUARY 31, 2008
U.S. and Canadian citizens will need to present either a WHTI-compliant document (see below),

-or-

A government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license, plus proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate. (This is the same as it's always been)

The Department of Honeland Security also proposes to begin alternative procedures for U.S. and Canadian children at that time.

· SUMMER 2008
At a later date, to be determined, the departments will implement the full requirements of the land and sea phase of WHTI.

The proposed rules require most U.S. citizens entering the United States to have either a U.S. passport; a U.S. passport card; a trusted traveler card such as NEXUS, FAST, or SENTRI; a valid Merchant Mariner Document (MMD) when traveling in conjunction with official maritime business; or a valid U.S. Military identification card when traveling on official orders.

The implementation date will be determined based on a number of factors, including the progress of actions undertaken by the Department of Homeland Security to implement the WHTI requirements and the availability of WHTI compliant documents on both sides of the border.

Expect the date of full WHTI implementation to be in the summer of 2008. The precise implementation date will be formally announced with at least 60 days notice.

U.S. PASSPORT AND OTHER TRAVEL DOCUMENTS
· U.S. Passport: U.S. citizens may present a valid U.S. passport when traveling via air, land or sea between the U.S. and the Western Hemisphere countries.

· The Passport Card: This limited-use, wallet-size passport card is not yet available and is under development. When available it will only be valid for land and sea travel between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean region (includes Bermuda).

· Other Accepted Travel Documents: SENTRI, NEXUS, FAST and the U.S. Coast Guard Mariner Document. Members of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty traveling on orders are exempt from the passport requirement. DHS has more information on these travel documents.

This information may be seen at http://www.dhs.gov/.

ABOUT WHTI
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is a result of the Intelligence Reform and Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA), requiring all travelers to present a passport or other document that denotes identity and citizenship when entering the U.S.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on February 22 its intent to propose, as part of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), significant flexibility regarding travel documents required for U.S. and Canadian children as part of WHTI requirements for U.S. land and sea border entry in 2008.

The goal of the initiative is to strengthen U.S. border security while facilitating entry for U.S. citizens and legitimate foreign visitors by providing standardized documentation that enables the Department of Homeland Security to quickly and reliably identify a traveler.

Ice Fishing Anyone???

2007-09-26T20:10:00.000-04:00

The end of this season brings notice of continued plans for our first annual ice fishing season.

We’re looking to open camp for the 4-weeks of February. A minimum of 24 guests are needed to make this project a reality (we’ve received verbal commitments from 6 to date).

Expectations are to have two 4-man cabins available for rent, on a four-day basis (minimum).

Approximate rate for this four-day trip is $550(US) and includes cabin, meals, access to two snowmobiles, one ice-hut per two people, pre-drilled fishing locations, and available staff on the premises. There will be groomed trails for use on the property, but are intended for ice fishing. Snowmobiles are mainly to be used for local traveling between the lodge and predestined fishing locations. For those hearty individuals interested in taking part in the first Lunge Lodge ice fishing season, please provide your feedback to us promptly so that we can move forward with these plans. If you thrive on adventure, contact Mike as soon as possible!

(412) 992-7226

lungelodge@aol.com

"Hunting With Penn's Woods" TV Show Comments

2007-09-24T15:48:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone,

I just want to thank all of you for an enjoyable trip. As I told Mike, everything about the trip was great and if anyone knows you can't control mother nature and wild animals, it's us. We'll get 'em next year. You guys really went out of your way for our buddies ... that was far and above what was necessary.

We all understand that you are running a business there and that there were no guarantee's.

I can assure you that we will do everything we can to bring customer's your way. Thanks for taking great care of them and us !

Please stay in touch, tell everyone that we said, "Hello" and it was truly a pleasure to meet each and every one of you !

Tom Neumann
Penn's Woods Products, Inc.
"Hunting With Penn's Woods" TV Show

MERICS FINISH WEEK

2007-09-22T09:19:00.000-04:00

JAY WITH ANOTHER NICE MUSKIE49.5" !!!!!

Hunting with Pennswoods

2007-09-20T11:01:00.000-04:00

Pennswoods Pro-Staff members Mike and Dave pose with a bear they shot and filmed last night.

Reed Mardis with a 42" 20lb pike caught yesterday.

BREAKING NEWS MERICS SCORE AGAIN

2007-09-19T14:44:00.000-04:00

ROGER MERICS LANDS A 53" IN THE MORNINGJAY HOLDING A NICE 40" CAUGHT AT NOON
JAY WITH ANOTHER NICE PIKE!

WEATHER CONDITIONS. SUNNY WITH STRONG WEST WINDS. SURFACE TEMP 63DEGREES

MERICS PHOTOS

2007-09-19T08:57:00.000-04:00

ROGER WITH A 45"

JAY WITH A 16LB PIKE

ANOTHER NICE PIKE

50" RACK SHOT LOCALLY

The Miller's vacation

2007-09-18T16:35:00.001-04:00

TODD AND MIKE,

HERE ARE SOME PICTURES OF ERNIE AND JOE.

THEY ARE NOT VERY CLEAR, BUT BOB WILL BE SENDING YOU SOME BETTER ONES.

ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING, WE HAD A WONDERFUL TIME.

EVERYONE THERE WAS SO NICE TO US. I CAN NOT WAIT TO COME BACK.

TAKE CARE,

ERNIE AND CORINNE MILLER

Collins/Pettry Photos

2007-09-18T15:03:00.001-04:00

Muskie Madness Videos

2007-09-17T11:59:00.000-04:00

Here is video of Brian Bernhardt's 48"-50" Muskie from last weeks tournament.
Another special thanks to the Binder group for shooting the video.

Here is Steve Pettry's 45" Muskie

A guest writes...

2007-09-16T13:19:00.000-04:00

Hi Mike

I would like to start out by saying Thank You!

I cannot say enough about the staff at Lunge Lodge. They were kind, courteous, and would help you at the drop of a hat. Because of a hectic work schedule ( as you know only to well ) our booking at the lodge was last minute. We just needed to get away. Nancy was overjoyed at the thought of not having to do a thing. I was beside myself with the thought of being able to fish for 12 hours a day! Long and the short of it, it was our nicest week away since Nancy and I got married 22 years ago. For you ladies out there who like to fish and be with your Man, this is the place to be. Nancy loves to fish and although I’m a Fishaholic, she never got bored or tired. She out-fished me in the Smallies 4 to 1.

The fishing was pretty good for 3 of the 4 days (1 rainout ) and our first time out with a tally of 8 Walleye, biggest about 4lbs., 4 Northerns, biggest about 4 lbs., and 14 or so Smallmouth, biggest 2.5 lbs. Not bad!

Please tell Mary that the food was excellent and that her enthusiastic welcome of all comers to the Lodge makes for a great stay and will keep them coming back.

Once again Thank You and We will be back.

Marv and Nancy Ostopovich
Sydenham, Ontario

Musky Madness Final

2007-09-15T11:05:00.000-04:00

The tournament ended with a bang Friday when Joe Shimkus’ last ditch effort right at dark resulted in a 45 incher inhaling his top water offering.

Unfortunately there are no pictures to post, as our San Drive card reader gave up the ghost! Once our musky hunters return home, they’ll be able to email their photos so we can catch up.

On day 2 (Thursday), several near misses and some nice catches were reported. Scott Chieffo got 2 bruisers to the boat, but lost both.

Mike Pettry came close, but size and species kept him out of the chase. A 32” musky, to go along with a 36” and a 40” pike, were heart-pounding, but not valid for this contest.

Gary McClain was our day 2 winner with a 36” specimen.

All fish were successfully released.

Final standings:

Day 1 Winner: John Shantz – 49.5”
Day 2 Winner: Gary McClain – 36”
Day 3 Winner: Joe Shimkus – 45”

Grand Prize winner (free trip next year): John Shantz

Congratulations to all of our entrants – the week, the party, and the two tournaments (Musky and Bass) were a rousing success!

Check back for new posts; there’s a crew from "Hunting With Penn's Woods" TV Show in camp this week documenting their bear hunts.

Accomplished musky fishermen, the Merics and Mardis’ are also in camp. The action is expected to be top notch.

Our season will conclude at the end of this month but it should go out with a bang. Stay connected for details.

Confirmed 49.5" Musky Ends Dispute

2007-09-13T08:40:00.000-04:00

Day one of Musky Madness was exciting and somewhat controversial, given the variables associated with a catch & release tournament. Reported catches began with the Cross family's 34" (which was not counted) and a 36" which was the leader for a moment.

It was quickly surpassed by Steve Pettry's 45" beauty.

That's where it got interesting. Brian Bernhardt, relegated to fishing alone because his partner became unavailable, hooked into a large fish. During the battle, the Binder party was close enough to assist and quickly began filming the exchange using Brian's DVD film-making equipment. The fish was successfully landed but the anglers could not arrive at a consensus measurement. They estimated it was anywhere from 48 to 50 inches!

Brian Bernhardt

NOTE: Blogger now allows video, therefore, be sure to check the posts late next week.

So we were faced with a dilemma as to who the real leader was.

That all changed once the Chieffo team reported in. John Shantz was declared the uncontested winner of day one with a solid 49.5 inch cow! The team reported that they had hooked and lost 2 other fish as well. For the day, they reported a total of 8 fish brought to the boat between the catch, the lost fish, and follows.

The weather yesterday was a comfortable 70° and partly cloudy. Today's forecast calls for cloudy with southeast winds. Surface temperature is approximately 67°. Keep checking for updates to this post (pictures) and new posts of today's action!

MUSKIE WEEK/ PETTRY BASS TOURNAMENT

2007-09-11T19:35:00.000-04:00

PETTRY BASS TOURNAMENT

Conditions: cloudy, upper 60s, and winds from the east.Once again the team of Big Bob Collins and Michael Pettry pulled out the win by a few ounces. They weighed in a great mixed bag of Large and Small mouths. Mike took big fish with a 4lb 11oz smallmouth. The four fish weighed 12lb 4oz.

Second place team of Joe and Dan Pettry weighed in an impressive bag of smallies at 12lb 1oz.

Mike Petras and Matt Fussner finished third with a 10lb bag.

Brendan Breen and Tom Albertini finished fourth with a 8lb 3oz bag.

The tournament was a huge success, with the winners holding over a 3lb average. Thanks again to the Pettrys for holding the annual event.

Oh, by the way, these fish were caught after the tournament:

Steve Pettry
Joe Pettry poses with his third musky of the day.

Musky Madness Update

2007-09-10T11:21:00.000-04:00

Lunge Lodge's 9th consecutive Musky Madness week has officially taken off and, although the tournament does not begin until Wednesday, several guests in camp are already hot on the trail of the most wanted fish on the French River. The Chieffo group has already reeled in two muskies over the weekend, with Scott Chieffo's measuring in at 48inches and John Shantz's at 50inches.

Scott Chieffo

John Shantz

Big Bob Collins is in camp with the Pettry group this week and already he's landed a 26inch walleye and this 45inch musky.

Bob Collins In bear news, Theron Uncapher shot his first sow last night, weighing in at almost 150 lbs. He is the first of the bear hunters to succeed in this week's hunt.
Theron Uncapher

Tomorrow, the Pettry group is holding their annual bass tournament. With almost everyone in camp signed up to compete, this year's bass tourney should leave much to report, as Musky Madness week continues...

Bear Hunt update

2007-09-07T13:12:00.001-04:00

Two of our bear hunters have met with success already this week.

Mike Card's bruin was estimated to be between 4-5 yrs of age and weighed approximately 170 lbs.

His son Michael's sow was an older 8-9 year old, going nearly 200 lbs., according to staff bear guide Jake.

2008 Ice Fishing

2007-09-04T10:48:00.001-04:00

LUNGE LODGE

FIRST ANNUAL ICE FISHING SEASON

Lunge Lodge is proud to announce that we are currently in the beginning stages of planning our first annual ice fishing season.
As with most endeavors there are going to be logistics to overcome. For the 2008 winter season, we are looking for a minimum of 24 guests to participate in the initiation of this project. Over a three-week period between mid-January and the end of February, we will have two 4-man cabins available for rent, on a four-day basis (minimum). Approximate rates for the four-day trip are $550(US). This rate includes cabin, meals, access to two snowmobiles, one ice-hut per two people, pre-drilled fishing locations, and available staff on the premises. There will be a groomed trail for use on the property, but the trip is intended for ice fishing. Snowmobiles are mainly to be used for local traveling between the lodge and predestined fishing locations. For those interested in taking part in the first Lunge Lodge ice fishing season, your prompt feedback is important for us, in order to move forward with our plans. If you thrive on adventure contact Mike as soon as possible!

705-763-2180
lungelodge@aol.com

Update

2007-09-04T09:25:00.000-04:00

On his second trip to camp this year, guest David Mulby landed this impressive 27inch walleye, weighing in at 7lbs.

Ron Smith stayed with us in early August, and just recently sent in these photos of their catches:

Some remarkable underwater shots:

What our guests are saying...

2007-09-03T18:31:00.000-04:00

Mike and Todd,

Now that two weeks have gone by since fishing out of Lunge Lodge and our feet are now on the ground, all I can say, for myself, my sons Tom and Dave Kerka and brother in-law Ed Bartkiewicz -- we had a great time on the Upper French River and the hospitality and accommodations at the Lodge are fantastic. Hopefully, we can get back for years to come!!! We have all talked about the Lodge, but mostly about the great food that Mary is putting out of your kitchen. Mary, you are one in a million.

Stan Kerka

Mike,

Wanted to reach out to again thank you and the staff for providing a great time for my son and I. We hope to return about the same time next year and will contact you to set up.

Now that we know where more of the rocks are, I hate not to reap some return on that investment. Stay well and I hope the season is a profitable one.

Regards,

Jim Walters

Wait 'till next year!

2007-08-31T17:41:00.000-04:00

This trip is over and Sid is still in search of his first musky. But, there's always next year, and the musky shows, and the pictures we took of this fantastic trip to keep us pumped!

We caught fish every day and now we're packing our things and getting ready to hit the road early in the morning, just as the clouds are rolling in and the winds are calming down -- oh well, that's how it goes.

Musky Madness is the week after next. My son and three of his buddies will be competing again -- if the posts we can make this year are half as good as the ones we did last year, look out!

See you next year...

Photos from the Meric's recent trip

2007-08-31T15:40:00.000-04:00

One day left...

2007-08-30T21:34:00.001-04:00

We continue to catch fish - we also figured out how to work the self-timer on the camera and snapped this triple-header of largemouth bass.This evening's fishing was very relaxing. The high winds stopped completely, the river reflected the stars, and all-in-all it was a mellow time on the water, until Sid tied into this pike. It was quite a commotion for a fish of this size!

There's still about 12 fishable hours left in our trip; you never know what can happen tomorrow...

Camp News

2007-08-30T21:25:00.000-04:00

Routine catches are being reported by the guests in camp. Most of the musky fisherman are experiencing follows.

Bass appear to be the most common catch, with walleye a close second. Dave, with the DuPree group, with another nice smallmouth caught in the exact same spot as the one posted Monday.

Don DuPree hoists a hefty one too!

Still working on his first musky

2007-08-29T21:02:00.000-04:00

Sid's still got two days left to hook into his first musky; he's been casting like a champ all week and is catching fish, just not the species he seeks!Sid with a nice largemouth that hit on a jointed Bucher Depth Raider.

A walleye caught on a musky-sized bucktail.

The two of us brave the elements Wednesday evening pursuing our quarry.

The O'Neill's go fishing

2007-08-28T21:39:00.000-04:00

Liam O'Neill with a nice French River northern.

(Can you see that Mike's sleaves look a little wet?)

That's because he leaves nothing to chance in his efforts to land fish for family & guests:

Ideal musky conditions...

2007-08-28T21:20:00.000-04:00

The weather today appeared ideal. The morning began with light west winds, a slight chop, and slightly overcast skies. Sid and I watched two muskies roll on the surface, practically in front of us, just at daylight.

We stayed with it all day and fished all the right spots, but a musky wasn't in the cards for us today. Sid did have two follows, in what looked like the 34-36 inch class. One of them made a half-hearted attempt to take his Chatterbait at boatside, but there was no hook-up.

Two other guys in camp had big ones on that gave them both an aerial display, but broke their hearts by letting go of their baits.

Dave Bosso, of Cleveland, did score on a 9 lb (34") musky, his first, early in the afternoon.
Count on it, we'll be back at it tomorrow...

Fish hard or fish smart

2007-08-27T21:41:00.001-04:00

The strong east winds continued into the morning hours, followed by even stronger west winds later in the afternoon.

Bluebird skies and tough conditions in which to control the boat sent the message that musky fishing would be difficult, at best.

So we did the next best thing, we went bass fishin' in the lilly pads!

We had a ball casting plastic frogs into the thickest stuff and waiting for the water to explode.

The results were a riot! We lost 10 times as many fish as we caught!

The best was this 4 1/4 pound bucket mouth:
Tomorrow's forecast calls for overcast skies. Guess what we'll be looking to do tomorrow?

Weekly update

2007-08-27T21:26:00.000-04:00

Four more guests arrived today and the camp is now full. All levels of experience and interests are represented.

Don DuPree's friend, Dave, with a nice smallmouth, caught on a tube jig.

Marv Ostopovich, from Kingston, Ontario with a French River 'Redfish' to go along with a bunch of walleyes caught while drifting jigs and Erie Dearies.

Winds from the east, fish bite least...

2007-08-26T21:55:00.000-04:00

The all-day Saturday rain was followed by a Sunday morning with moderately strong east winds. The conditions didn't keep us out of course, and we hit it hard the entire day. Several pike (this 4 pounder the only one we photographed) and some rambunctious smallmouth that thought they could eat our musky lures, kept us going into the late evening hours.
The full moon arrived at 7:32, and with it, two blowups on my Maas Marauder, but unfortunately, no muskies to report today.

Stay tuned, we'll definitely be back at it tomorrow...

A rainy day story...

2007-08-25T19:32:00.000-04:00

We got a late start this morning due to intermittent showers, but as my wife Caroline always says, "things happen for a reason".

The reason was my third musky this trip! A juvenile 26" fish, but a musky no less.
The pike were cooperative throughout the all-day rain; this 7 lb. specimen being the best picture opportunity.Everything's soaked, and the power was out for a few hours before dinner, but it's supposed to dry up tomorrow. We'll find out and let you know!

What a way to start!

2007-08-24T21:26:00.000-04:00

Sid and I got in late Thursday, but managed to get about an hour of "practice" in, anticipating the next day.

We started out early Friday morning, with Sid catching this nice smallmouth.

Around noon, I hooked into and landed a fat 45 incher out on a main channel shoal.As luck would have it, after dinner I hit on my first ever double-header, a feisty 37 inch fish, caught on a Top Raider.
After watching a beautiful sunset,
the evening closed out with this nice 34" northern.
Can't wait 'till morning...

Wildcats Hockey group

2007-08-21T15:06:00.000-04:00

COACH JIM BLACK'S FRIENDS ARE IN CAMP THIS WEEK AND HERE ARE SOME OF THEIR PHOTOS THE KIDS SPORTING THEIR "I SURVIVED LUNGE LODGE ROCK" T-SHIRTS

CODY BLACK WITH A NICE BASS

"THE HEAT OF THE BATTLE". CODY IS BEING PULLED AROUND THE POND BY A 40+ INCH PIKE.

DAN HUBERT WITH 25 INCH WALLEYE

IAN WOOD WITH A 17 INCH SMALLMOUTH HE CAUGHT FROM THE DOCKS

LAST BUT NOT LEAST MICHELLE AND DIANE WITH A MONSTER MUSKIE THEY CAUGHT WITH A PINK BARBIE ROD?????

Lodge News

2007-08-11T11:32:00.000-04:00

We are moving into Mid-August and the Muskie fishing is Heating up! Ben Rohde with a 38" muskie caught on a top water lure.

This weeks guests landed 9 muskies. The largest going 47"

Photos to follow! The Mariano family caught one and lost a "Monster" while fishing main river reefs. The water temp. remains in the mid 70's. There has been little rain this summer and the river is down about a foot. We have had a great fishing season and I fully expect a great muskie season.

Lunge Lodge Kids

2007-08-09T12:59:00.000-04:00

The kids in camp have been reeling 'em in this week. Here are some of the photos from their catches:

A nice walleye for Ben Rhode. Great catch Ben!

Liam O'Neill pulled in a fair-sized Sheephead during a family pontoon excursion.

Ben Dumas and his 27 inch pike.

Collin Kelly reeled in this nice smallmouth while out with the O'Neills.

Great Job Kids!

BREAKING NEWS

2007-08-05T19:13:00.000-04:00

Recent lightning strikes cause several fires in area LUNGE LODGE STAFF ASSISTS FIREFIGHTERS
Ontario Forest Fire fighters exiting Helicopter Water Bomber in action

Thanks from yet another guest

2007-07-30T11:32:00.000-04:00

Mike,

Just wanted to let you know that I had a great time. You and your staff do a wonderful job. My son and I had a great experience and we are looking forward to next year. Please extend my gratitude to your partner and staff (especially Mary!)

Best Regards,
Anthony Perna MD

Mid-Week Update

2007-07-24T10:34:00.000-04:00

I was guided by long-time guest Roger Merics last night, and was led to a nice 31" pike and also had a 40-inch muskie blow up on a topwater lure.

Roger has only been in camp for a few days and has already made some great catches. This 29" 10lb. walleye was caught on Sunday. He and fishing partner Bill have been reeling in walleyes all week.

Also in camp this week are Ed Kickler and Gary Hutchinson. They have been catching bass and nice walleyes on slip bobber's. Here are some of the photos from the first half of their week.

Another guest writes:

2007-07-24T07:47:00.000-04:00

Hey Mike:

I wanted to thank you and the crew for a very enjoyable week.

I must add that you have a group of very nice folks that work for you. Anything that we needed was taken care of right a way. I'm sure you have heard it many times before, but a special thank you goes out to Mary for a job above and beyond for the fabulous food and service.

From the northern side of some place special,

Rudy

Kudos from Tim

2007-07-23T15:05:00.000-04:00

MIKE,

I HAD A GREAT TIME AT LUNGE THIS YEAR AND I WILL BE BACK AGAIN NEXT YEAR, FOR SURE.

I’M GLAD I CAME BACK AFTER 2 YEARS [AWAY] BECAUSE YOU GUYS CAN NOT BE BEAT, YOU ARE THE BEST OF THE BEST!

Tim Endler

PHOTOS FROM THIS WEEK

2007-07-19T08:03:00.000-04:00

Tim Endler with 3 nice fish he caught this week: This larger muskie (41") was caught on a "Baby Loon" Top Raider. The Pike was 39" .

Tim is the manager for the Gander Mountain store in Moon Township (Pittsburgh). So if you live in the "Burgh", and need tackle, stop by and see Tim.

Brian Bernhardt with a nice Walleye. For those who don't know, Brian produces our Promotional DVD