JUST THE WAY WE LIKE IT
It has now been twenty years that the current owners of Scott Lake Lodge have watched that first float plane with guests appear on the southeast horizon line and then touch down on the inviting waters of Scott Lake. For some of those twenty openers, it took a high intensity effort to get this island on the 60th parallel ready for prime time. This was not one of those. In 2016 the early ice out made our preparations a lot more relaxed. For our staff there was even some down time the afternoon of June 10th. Thanks to the hard work of the thirty team members on the island everything was ready-clean, neat and organized, just the way we like it. When our first guests of the season stepped onto our dock, they enjoyed an atmosphere more like a family reunion (except the warmth wasn’t faked) than a business setting. That’s the way it is around here. Our new group quickly fell into the Scott Lake Lodge routine: enjoying great conversations, wonderful meals, relaxing moments on the expansive deck overlooking the lake, and of course catching a lot of fish-we mean a LOT of fish.
WEEK 1 ON THE BOOKS
As always the fishing in the early part of the season follows the weather. When the sun was out, fishing was out-of-control exciting. When it clouded over, things slowed down. We had some of each our first week. During the two nearly perfect, sunny days the action was sizzling with catch rates of 50-100 fish per person the common report. In the early season pike just crave sunshine. And many got a chance to feel those rays directly when they were posing for pictures. An absolutely beautiful 47″pike got to pose with his temporary keeper Tim Den Heuvel. Another 47 incher got the same opportunity with angler Dan DeChamp. A fat 46″ pike did the grip and grin show with Cory Brumbaugh and three anglers-Dave Wanderer, Don Pulver and Glen Tellock-got to show off their 45s. Lots of big fish. A total of 63 trophy pike were caught in five days and hundreds (maybe thousands) were brought to the boats. Early season is an exciting time. It was mainly a pike show but some trout were caught shallow including a gorgeous 41 incher landed by Bill Stephenson.
Our first group did get to see Mother Nature throw quite a tantrum. On June 15th, the last day of the session, the morning was cloudy but not especially threatening. But by noon there was a clear sense that it was time to get off the water. We had one of the fastest developing storms we have ever seen around here. All the boats headed back to port. Most beat the driving horizontal rain, pushed by winds of 40-60 miles per hour. A lot of spruce branches snapped off and people got a chance to test their rain gear but everyone made it back for lunch in the lodge where it was warm and dry. It was an “all’s well that ends well” experience for everyone. Just like that it was over. When it was time for the group to leave, the sun was out and the lake looked inviting for the next group.
THE EXPLOSION
That big blow must have really shook things up under the surface. When the sun broke the horizon at around 4:00 AM (the days do start early up here in June and July), it felt like it was going to be a good day. Indeed it was. The barometer was heading north faster than a lake trout running down a whitefish and the sky/water was as blue as it gets. Everything looked right when the new crew jumped into boats and float planes for the first day of their trip. It felt right but no one knew it would turn out to be one of the best fishing days in the history of the lodge. Maybe it was the high pressure system. Maybe it was the intense subarctic sun hitting the water surface. Maybe it was dumb luck. But for whatever reason the pike just went on a feeding spree. Fishing was the same on Scott and on the fly out lakes that some of the guests went to-it was spectacular. And there was time for counting when the fishing was done. That count was impressive. In a single day a total of 53 trophy pike and two trophy lake trout were caught.
These were not just barely over the line trophies where the tip of the tail just kisses the 40″ mark. These pike were big: a full dozen stretched the tape to 44 inches or over. Part of the daily box score: 44 inchers by Amy Bajalia, Dave Crussell, Ken Riechert and Mike Rogers who picked a pair; 45 inchers by Mel Deane, Bart Davies and Peggy Light who also picked a pair; 46 inchers by Joe Daugherty and Don Luke who also landed a 37″ lake trout on his fly rod; and, a 47 incher by Don Granata who took the top honor for the day. Yes, all in a day. Don, along with Peggy Light, had five trophies for the day. Judy Schmidt got six and Mike Rogers got seven. Repeating: all this happened in one day. For some lodges a haul like that represents a season of big fish but it was all in a day’s fun (we don’t like the term work) here.
THANK YOU FOR ANOTHER SOLD OUT SEASON
In earlier messages we forgot to thank all of our 2016 customers for making this another sold out season at Scott Lake Lodge. We are humbled that so many anglers trust us to provide them with a memorable fishing adventure. Every year we work hard to improve our service and our facilities. We just don’t believe in “good enough”. We always give it our very best and focus on consistent and constant incremental improvement.
ARE YOU THINKING JUNE 2017?
At Scott we give guests the right of first refusal to keep their week, their cabin and their guide. The first week is now history so we now can offer bookings for week 1 of 2017. The dates June 10-15 and the price ($5,795) are the same as this season. What will the fishing be like? Find out. These season opener trips are precious and rare. Grab one right now for June 10, 2017. Our Guide/Sales Manager, Jon Wimpney, will respond to your email questions or bookings every night as soon as he gets off the water-no rest for the wicked. Contact him ASAP at j5@scottlakelodge.com A $1,000 deposit holds your spot. Be on the first to throw a line next season. So stop thinking right now and start typing that email!
