We would love to check in with you and hear about any of your recent adventures. We did get some great fish stories for our recent contest but we know there are many outdoor pursuits that don’t involve a hook and line.

Send a note to any of the full time staff: Jon Wimpney, Jason Hamilton, or Tom Klein and we’ll run some of the tales of your exploits on the website. No prizes this time but we hope for some surprises.

Tell us a story, ask some questions, give us some suggestions. We just want to touch base and remind ourselves and you that there will be a northern experience  in the not so distant future. Sadly, we are lacking a crystal ball or Magic 8 Ball to predict the future, but all of us do like to talk, especially about fishing. And we’re just fun to talk to.

It was a relatively quiet summer on our island, except for the sounds of saws, hammers and the occasional swearing about mosquitoes interfering with the extensive infrastructure work. A dozen of our hardiest and handiest staff members spent the entire summer working some major improvements on the island. We could send photos, but we’d rather wait until you get to the island and see for yourself: you will be impressed. What was missing this summer was the sound of the piston Beaver or turbo Otter firing up at the docks every morning. With an average of four fly outs per day taking our guests to even more remote waters, our summers are always filled with the exciting sounds of floatplanes. Not this summer. A Twin Otter bringing building supplies and no doubt some beer landed only once every two weeks.

Other than their workmates and the Otter pilot, our crew saw no one for nearly three months except one TV crew. A Canadian company (they obviously didn’t have any border crossing issues), The New Fly Fisher, filmed a TV show, capturing some amazing footage of top water pike action. We’ll let you know when that show airs. Let’s all hope that there is never another summer like that at Scott Lake again—ever.

To all our Scott Lake friends/guests: stay safe and stay excited about solid hooksets on big pike and trout. The entire Scott Lake team badly missed the good times we all have together on the little island in the middle of nowhere. We’ll do double time of fun next summer.

by Tom Klein, Owner

Well, that string of summers, the pearls of my life, has been broken. Despite having a work permit, a long history in Canada and a good attorney, there was no way to beat the border closure this summer. When heard recently that even the Toronto Blue Jays could not play their home games in their own country, I did feel a little better. Yes, Canada is serious about Covid. My sense of loss about this Summer of Covid is shared by most, if not all, of regular guests, many who have called just to talk about how much they miss their annual trip.

The summer of 2020 will be remembered and discussed for generations. It is a marker like D-Day, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Moon Landing or 9/11. In context against the immense economic, emotional, and physical pain, along with now nearly 160,000 deaths this pandemic has wrought, the loss of a summer in paradise or a fishing trip pales, but it’s still real. So, we all just been making the best of it: keeping on keeping on.

This is what we know for sure:

• We are fully aware of the severity of the situation and are taking it very seriously.
• We are preparing and planning to open our doors on June 9th, still 85 days away. There is a lot of time for the disease to peak and subside as seen in China. We are watching carefully and planning for any contingency.
• In consultation with medical professionals, we will take all necessary steps to ensure disinfection and safety for guests and staff both on island and in transit.
• At present our cancellation policy will maintain as per usual. In the unlikely event of travel bans during the season we will make a decision starting June 1, 2020 regarding a special case cancellation policy. We will keep our guests updated and individually contact them should this become necessary.

But summer is coming, and our preparations will continue. We want to fish as badly as you do.

We are 85 days away from welcoming our first anglers of 2020 on our docks and 86 days from first casts! As the season draws near, we are amassing literally tons of gear, lumber, rods, reels and other details for the long trip north either by ski plane, helicopter or floats. When you arrive this summer, there will be some surprises to greet you. While we can’t give them all away, a number of cabins will have major face lifts and Moose cabin will have migrated from its previous locale to a new location on the hill near Grayling and Ptarmigan. Old Moose will be a storage area. New boats will be awaiting their maiden voyage, part of a continuing increase in power as many new 30hp Yamahas will be ready to move you a bit faster on the fly out lakes.

With all of the new we will of course have a lot of what’s familiar. Almost the entire 2019 staff will be returning this summer: 27 out of 29, including all the guides. There will be three new faces on the island this summer, bringing smiles and a new perspective to continue our goal of providing the absolute finest customer service of any fishing lodge, anywhere.

Thank you for deciding to fish with us. We promise to work our hardest to ensure your fishing trip is all you want it to be. It’s going to be a great year and we can’t wait to see you on the dock!

We’re A Bunch of Sellouts

This is an official announcement: We are sold out for 2020! The actual moment was around the first of February when the last guest found their fishing adventure with us, but we didn’t want to net the fish before it was hooked so to speak.

Thank you all for your continued support in returning to our island each year. And also thank you to those anglers that have put their trust in fishing with us for the first time in 2020. Your business is appreciated, will not be taken for granted and continually earned.

But we all know life is unpredictable and cancellations do happen. Reach out to our Sales Manager Jon Wimpney if you would like to be put on a wait list for a potential opening this season.

And of course now is also a great time to get in touch with Jon regarding a 2021 trip. Give him a call at 306/209-7150 or send him an email. He loves to talk fishing anytime.

That time of the year is upon us. Thanksgiving is right in front of us and Christmas just around the corner. For most of our guests living in the northern half of the continent there is no need for a reminder: winter is here.

Speaking of our team, we are happy to announce that the full guide staff is returning along with nearly all of the shore staff . . . they must like it here. We attribute that dedication and loyalty to the unique culture that has evolved on our island among the guests and staff. This is just a fun place to be!

With the kickoff of the holidays we want to thank all of our 2019 customers for another fantastic season. Without your support, commitment and friendship, we simply would not be able to pull this off. Enjoy the holiday season with family and friends and don’t forget to tell them some fish stories. Send them our way if you think they would enjoy the Scott Lake Experience!

It’s Time to Book for 2020

This year a record number of guests chose to book again for 2020 before leaving the lodge, a feather in the cap of the staff and a testament to their hard work. We appreciate the trust of these “Scott Lake Regulars”.

It’s our Sales Manager’s job to keep Scott Lake Lodge full. Jon Wimpney who also guides for 85 straight days every season has done a fantastic job, selling out the place almost every year. This year should be a slam dunk. When the season ended, we already had 82% of our 2020 capacity sold. But that still gives you a lot of room to plan your fishing adventure.