The 2019 season at Scott Lake Lodge is off to a flying start. We welcomed our first guests on the evening of June 9. By the next morning the first cries of “Fish On” echoed around the lake. Despite some cool weather for the first few days, the fishing was hot.
Long time regular Peter Myhre got things rolling on our first day, landing five trophy pike, the biggest a fat 47 incher, and a trophy lake trout. There were plenty of other super-sized pike (our nomenclature for a pike over 45”) as the temperature started to rise and we transitioned from spring weather to flat out hot summer. Fishing in the far north is all about heat. Pike crave warm water. When the intense sub-arctic sun hits the water, the pike feel it and head for the warm water in bays and shallow channels.
That’s exactly what happened here. We had the heat and the pike responded. Over our first ten days of operations our anglers showed that they knew how to set a hook and bring big fish to their guide’s nets. The result: an incredible total of 374 trophy-sized fish (that’s a pike of 40”, a lake trout of 35” or a grayling of 15”) went into those waiting nets. Of that total 360 were trophy northern pike, the savage looking and acting top predator in the far north. We’ve never had a season with such a fast start in the pike department. For many lodges that many pike would be a full season of trophies.
There were many amazing pike days for our anglers in just ten days. Imagine catching nine trophy pike in a single day. Joe Daugherty did it twice in a five-day trip and one of those pike was 48 and a half inches long. Peter Myhre also had a nine-trophy day, along with an eight-trophy day. Don Luke enjoyed his eight-trophy day, especially when three of those fish were 45” or better. Seven-trophy days were bagged by Peter Leonovicz and Rory Wright. Pike six-packs were picked up by Judy Schmidt (twice in five days), Paul Hanna, Robert Shaffalo and Ty Daugherty. Even five trophy pike in a day is a lifetime achievement. Six more of our anglers—Ross Purpura, Eric Luke, Ryan Luke, Peggy Light, Conrad Schmidt and Mike Rogers—will remember their five pike day. We have been swimming in abundance.
June sunshine goes hand in hand with pike on the fly.
While pike were the main attraction, there were a lot of lake trout cruising near the surface. Many were caught while casting for pike. Alexa Moulopoulous was the leader of the trout parade, landing four trophies with the biggest a 37.5” fish. Her brother, Aris, had the last word in a sibling trout rivalry. He latched onto a 41” monster that took him for a ride—probably the best fish fight of the young season. Peter Schmidt also got a 41” trout on his way to earning the first 100+Club Membership. It’s a tough admission standard to join this club. You have to land a trout, pike and arctic grayling whose collective measurements reach 100. Peter landed at 102.5”. Robert Shaffalo and Richard Chernus pulled in 38” lakers. Bridgette got a 37 incher.
This is the right way to open a season.
Change is a Good Thing
When our guests arrived, they noticed a lot of changes. At Scott Lake Lodge we love change. There is rarely a season when there isn’t something new at Scott—change is a good thing. Many guests enjoyed the new fitness center (some at 5:00 AM) and most stood on the new floating dock. A few appreciated the comfort of Ptarmigan, a new guest cabin with an incredible view of the lake. Many more liked the ten new 30 HP Yamaha outboards on fly out lakes. Everyone loved the new Beautyrest mattress on every bed and the Bose Bluetooth Speakers in each cabin. But there were changes that didn’t happen. For the seventh straight season the identical Guide Team greeted guests as they got off the floatplanes. The average tenure of our guides at Scott is now 16 seasons. Experience counts. Our guests also met the same Hospitality, Management, Maintenance and Pilot staff as last year. So, sometimes no change is a good thing.
If we look at the real long-term, it’s even more amazing. In the 21 previous seasons, the average for pike over 45” was 48 and for pike over 47” it was 13. (Between 2000 and 2012 that average was 6.6—the last three years pushed up this number.) This is clearly a new era at Scott Lake Lodge for giant pike. The trout and grayling records are also approaching new heights. We have now landed 46 lake trout over 40”. Watch for our Annual Report in the mail or on the website late this fall for all the details. For now just enjoy the pictures of a remarkable run of big fish—not fish stories.
2020?: Its Not Too Early
If you’re an angler or want to be an angler, you must be impressed with this fishing report. For world class fishing and customer service, Scott Lake Lodge is the top Canadian fishing destination. Our sell out seasons every year and repeat customer rate of nearly 90% validate that claim. This year 100% of our guests in the first two groups rebooked for 2020 before they left. If you want to have a 2020 Scott Lake Lodge Adventure, you need to check in with Jon Wimpney, our guide/sales manager at j5@scottlakelodge.com
While we do offer the right of first refusal to all of our guests to keep their week, their guide and their cabin, for most weeks of our season there will be available spots. Have Jon keep you updated on 2020 availability during this season and grab a piece of the fishing action next season. Why wait any longer?
