Season Wrap Up 2019

by Tammy MacDonald | Sep 19, 2019 | 2019 Season

On September 2nd the last of our 2019 guests boarded the float planes and headed south. It was a wrap for the season, and it was another record breaker. Despite less than ideal weather this summer, our anglers hung in there and hung a ton of big fish.

We’ve never seen trophy numbers like this. After setting a record of 2,221 trophy fish in 2018, we blew the doors off this season. Our 442 guests (another sold out season) landed 2,670 trophies, an average of six trophies per angler, way above last year’s record of 4.7. It’s a simple formula: great water+great anglers+great guides=BIG FISH. With so many of our anglers coming back every season (this season 87% of our guests had been to Scott previously), they are getting just a little better at spotting the fish the guide is patiently (or impatiently) pointing out, better at setting the hook and better at keeping that line tight. With our guide team learning all the new fly outs lakes a little better every season, they are putting guests in front of more big fish. We can speculate forever on the causes, but the numbers are clear. On all fronts the trophy fishing at Scott has been getting better and better.

Most of our guests are focused on pike and they found them. We set a new pike trophy count along with the total trophies. On 1,807 occasions the guide either said or thought “that one’s over” as he put a 40+ incher into his net. Stretched end to end that’s way more than a mile of trophy pike. Many of those were true monsters. Watch for our Annual Report for all those details. Our trout totals were roughly the same as the prior year. It was the incredible arctic grayling year that gave our top line trophy count a real boost. In 2018 we had 255 trophy grayling with 55 over 18 inches. In 2019 we had 625 with 125 over 18 inches. Yes, we did find a new grayling hot spot. Maybe we can’t keep setting new records every season, but our guests keep trying. Don’t bet against them.

This pike was definitely “over” the trophy limit. So was the smile!

It’s a simple formula: great water + great anglers + great guides = BIG FISH.

So, we had the numbers and we had a record year for something that’s tough to measure—how much fun guests have. With great dining, lots of wildlife sightings (in June and early July our black bears were prowling the shorelines and sightings were a daily occurrence), some spectacular end of season northern lights, there were many more things to interest our guests than just the fishing. During the cooler weeks, the Finnish sauna (water poured over hot stones) and the hot tub were busy places. During the warmer weeks, the expansive deck around the main lodge was the hot spot. To our surprise the new Fitness Center had a lot of traffic, even after long days on the water. Some guests even took the hour-long Tundra Trail nature walk on the mainland, a five-minute boat ride away. Many guests this year discovered that Scott Lake Lodge is about more than fishing. It’s about having a good time and we’ll just have to take our customer’s word that we delivered on the fun factor.

Improving the Infrastructure

We really can’t do much to improve the fishing, but we can control our facilities and equipment upgrades. We’re doing both. Most of our 2019 guests noticed a lot of improvements: a new floating dock; a new guest cabin, Ptarmigan, replacing an older cabin; a new Fitness Center adjacent to our sauna; six new fly-out boats and ten new motors. All our 2019 guests noticed the new luxury mattresses that were put in every guest room last season. (It’s the little things that make a difference.) In 2020 guests will see another new cabin and significant remodeling/enlargement of four existing guest cabins. Every year things will get better and better on the island. That is a sure bet.

Not much room to improve here.

It’s a sure bet too that all or nearly all of the great staff our customers have interacted with will be back in 2020. At this writing all the Scott guides have signed on to another year, giving that team a 17-year average tenure. For now though, our Scott Team is starting their annual migration literally around the world. We have team members heading for New Zealand, Central America, Africa, Asia, South America and all points of the compass in Canada. There will be a reunion for many in Costa Rica at guide Graham Coulombe’s wedding there in April.

Keeping the Lodge Full

A full lodge is a happy lodge, not only for owners but also for our guests. Many of our guests have started to enjoy the company of other guests almost as much as the company of big fish. There is an energy and excitement at every week’s opening night dinner that is tough to describe but easy to enjoy. 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. Give Jon a call at 306/209-7150 or send him an email. He’ll find you a spot.

Trophy Lake Trout Fishing at Scott Lake Lodge

A Tale of Two Summers: Mid-Season Update

by Tammy MacDonald | Aug 7, 2019 | 2019 Season

For fifty days now, Scott Lake Lodge guests have been jumping in boats and floatplanes in quest of northern pike, lake trout and arctic grayling. Most have been quite successful, but it’s been a tale of two summers over those 50 days

There was the idyllic blue sky, warm summer breezes summer that about half of our ten groups experienced and then the windy, cold and cloudy “not quite summer” that the other half fished through. Of course, some of the groups had a little of both—that’s weather, but weather conditions dictate fishing success. We know our pike and grayling love warm, sunny conditions. When the sun hits the water, those species go a little bit crazy, sometimes a lot crazy. Why else would a perfectly healthy and otherwise normal fish rush to chew on a piece of metal, plastic, fur or feathers?

Smiles all around.

So, our groups who had a lot of sunshine did bring in more and bigger fish, but everyone who came to this island on the 60th parallel caught a lot of fish. None caught as many as our second group at the lodge who enjoyed an early season heat wave that ran their one-group trophy count to 261, a record by a long shot. Our 8th and 9th groups also had perfect weather and big trophy counts. Our fifth group had to endure the worst weather of the season: it was cold and they had to work hard for their big fish. That’s just the way fishing is.

But the bottom line: after just fifty days or just under 60% of our season, a total of 1,631 trophy-sized fish were hooked, brought to the net, carefully and quickly measured and then released by the veteran Scott Lake Lodge guide team, now with an average tenure of sixteen seasons under their caps. That trophy number is impressive; we are well on our way to breaking the 2018 season’s record of 2,221 trophies, a record we thought would stand for years. After fifty days last year we were at 1,301 trophies. The mix is looking a little different this year with more pike and grayling and fewer lake trout.

“When the sun hits the water, those species go a little bit crazy, sometimes a lot crazy. Why else would a perfectly healthy and otherwise normal fish rush to chew on a piece of metal, plastic, fur or feathers?”

The pike and grayling have more than made up for the relative absence of trout on the end of the line. We’ve had both numbers and size this season. Many anglers do count either by guestimate or by one of those damn clickers that guides hate. With both methods counts of over a hundred fish per person per day have been tallied. Counts of two, three or four dozen per angler have been common. We don’t count anything but trophy fish so those total fish counts can remain as memories with our guests but over 50 days it’s got to be a huge number, in the many tens of thousands.

Even the trophy number is huge. We’ve had some amazing days. Both Joe Daugherty and Peter Myhre (both come more than once) have tallied nine trophy pike in a single day and both have done it twice this season. Len Dorr had an eight-pike trophy day and four anglers (Josh Nardo, Bret Laing, Peter Myhre and Thomas Purcell) have had seven trophy pike days. With all those trophies there must have been some real hogs. Yes! We’ve had one 50 inchers already, taken by our Head Chef on a rare day off. There have been a pair of 49s (Bernie Heile and Suzanne Noble) and a bunch of 48s and 47s. There were a couple very notable lake trout—a 44” and a 45” with the best of the trout season still to come. For numbers and size, it’s been a very good year. If we had the cloudy half of our season in sunshine it would have been a spectacular year, but we take the weather day by day and fish whatever weather we get.

On the Wild Side

Summer at Scott Lake Lodge is about more than fishing. After all, our slogan is “World Class Fishing and More”. So, what’s the “more” all about? Well, there’s the fine dining, the lively evening bar scene, the hot tub, sauna, the Stone Haven Spa, canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding, hiking and wildlife. Especially wildlife. It’s always a bonus when during a day’s fishing there is an encounter with a bear, moose or musk ox. We have cool birds like loons, eagles and osprey all the time, but seeing a big mammal is a real thrill. It’s not planned and certainly not predictable, but it’s a wonderful opportunity when it happens. For reasons we can only speculate about we have had an abundance of wildlife sightings in 2019, especially bear.

It started early in the season when bears were seen by someone almost every day. We know this because we hand out bear pins along with our pike, lake trout and grayling trophy pins at our nightly “fish du jour” event. We almost ran out of bear pins. One pair of anglers saw bears (different ones as we fish different areas every day) on four straight days. The speculation is that the cold weather we had this spring and into summer slowed down the berry growth and had the bears scouting the shorelines for anything they could find. With low water this year the shorelines were easier walking with better scavenging. It’s a theory but all hunters and anglers love theories about things they really can’t explain. There were probably a dozen moose sightings as well, but the real big news was the presence of musk ox in our fly out zone. Twenty years ago, it took a two-hour flight in a floatplane to get into musk ox county. No more. This year we’ve had musk ox observed right on some of our fly out lakes. Some of our anglers had musk ox within 50’ of their boat. Rare and wonderful.

2020: It’s Not Too Good to Be True

If it all sounds too good to be true you will just have to find out for yourself in 2020. It’s not too early to grab a prime spot. Our rebooking have been sensational. Of the 260 people who came through the lodge so far this year, just over 80% have booked for next season. We do offer the right of first refusal to current year guests and most opt for that opportunity. But that still leaves a lot of spots for next year when you can have that option yourself. Give our Guide/Sales Manager Jon Wimpney an email to get your trip for the first half of next season. Find the 2020 schedule and prices on this site and remember that our package is the most inclusive in the industry. Take a careful look and compare the cost per day. The very best doesn’t have to cost more.

Fish On: Camp Opening 2019

by Tammy MacDonald | Jun 24, 2019 | 2019 Season

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?

Winter Update 2019

by Tammy MacDonald | Feb 12, 2019 | 2019 Season, gear, Island Life, staff

February 2019

Winter Update

When records are being broken daily on the Canadian Prairies for low temperatures the only logical thing to do was head north…

Surely it couldn’t be any colder, could it?

POLAR VORTEX

Turns out, when you fly into the polar vortex the bottom falls out of the mercury. Guides Paul Hamilton and Steve Yanish braved the conditions (temps plunging below -50°) with the help of our pilot, Travis, hauled 4 tons of lumber and supplies into the lodge.

The caribou migration is still far north of Scott Lake and very few tracks of hunters heading north to pursue them were seen. The lodge was in good shape, cold, still and waiting for our 2019 anglers to visit. The materials, from windows to deck boards have been earmarked for the completion of the new guest cabin, Ptarmigan, the new upgraded fitness/sauna complex and new staff housing, plus about 50 or so other projects.

We strive to use every opportunity regardless of the weather to honor our commitment to incremental improvements. Keep your eyes open for what’s new when you step off the plane this summer!

The lodge was in good shape: cold, still and waiting for the 2019 anglers to visit.

The Right Sunglasses

To start, we can’t stress this enough, you need some sort of sunglasses, your eyes will thank you. From a safety standpoint alone having sunglasses on all the time while fishing is a good plan, as flying hooks tend to not be friendly to eyes.

There are 2 places (well 3 if you count a fishing trip to Scott Lake Lodge) we recommend buying the best product in your budget: raingear and sunglasses.

For fishing at Scott Lake Lodge get polarized glass, this will cut glare and allow you to see into the water. Your ability to make the right cast to a big fish increases tenfold if you can see it. It opens you up to the world of sight fishing and will directly affect your success. Glass vs. plastic: go glass, they can put a better-quality polarization on glass lenses which block out the yellow wavelengths of the light spectrum enhancing underwater vision. Glass is more scratch resistant, however more expensive. Plastic lenses are more economical and lighter compared to glass, will tend to scratch easier and will not be as sharp as glass.

The go to lens colors for sight fishing at Scott Lake Lodge have a copper base and 10-12% light transmission. Copper base with a mirror lens will be the best for high sun and heavy glare, while a straight copper will be an all-around great lens for variable light conditions. The 1-2 punch many of your guides have been employing is a higher transmission yellow/copper-based lens for early and late in the day or heavy overcast and the more traditional lens for high sun. Again, your best all-around is a copper lens with around 12% light transmission.

The brands that meet these parameters that we know, and use are Costa Del Mar and Maui Jim, obviously there are others out there too. When choosing a frame style, you need to try them on! Make sure they are wide enough and the lenses large enough to provide full coverage with minimal gaps where light can enter around the lenses.

Any light infiltration will reduce the eye’s ability to focus on underwater objects like that giant pike that’s at 2 o’clock 20 feet away! Listen to your guide, he’s been spying these fish for a long time. Try to wait to see the fish, then send your best cast at it. There are health benefits to using good glass that blocks harmful UVA and UVB light, but our best sales pitch is you will be a more effective angler when you can see what’s out there.

The Time Is Now

It might sound like a bit of a broken record, but here we are again with just a very few spots in the 2019 season left.

Now is the time to pull the trigger (or make the cast in fishing terms.) We have retained our entire incredible, professional staff (plus added a couple of great new folks.) The infrastructure improvements will knock your socks off, not to mention we have consistently set and then broken and re-set records of numbers and size of fish.

Get in touch with Sales Manager and Guide Jon Wimpney (j5@scottlakelodge.com or call 306-209-7150 to stake your claim on the last few chances to be in this year’s record books.

Gift Guide for the Discerning Angler

by Tammy MacDonald | Dec 21, 2018 | gear

If you’re searching for that perfect gift for the angler in your life, look no further. Our own team of professional guides has hand picked this list of the essential gear every angler needs and wants.

Good Quality Rain Suit

We are constantly shocked to see guests arrive on a northern Canadian fishing trip with low quality, ineffective rain gear. Gore-Tex and Toray are the fabrics you need in your suit…yes a suit (bibs and a parka.) The difference between catching fish while being comfortable or miserable is an extra few bucks. Rain gear is the place to treat yourself and a good suit will last you a lifetime. Retreat it with Revivex which maintains the water repellent coating. Simms, Patagonia, Cabelas, Bass Pro Shops and Helly Hansen all sell the good stuff.

Simms Riverbank Chukka

Perfect height for keeping you dry in and out of boats, that one step from the float plane to the beach without all the bulk of knee high boots. An added bonus is you can pack them in a smaller bag.

Tickets to the 2019 Stoke Reel

Tickets to this year’s flyfishing film tour to get sufficiently pumped up for the upcoming year of chasing fish.

https://flyfilmtour.com

Waterproof Duffel Bag

A bag like this will save you grief traveling the world over. They are easier to pack on small planes and protect your gear from rain, unplanned dips and everything else an adventure might throw at it. As you trek to remote parts of the world chasing fish baggage carousels tend to be replaced by patches of gravel beside the plane. Simms, Patagonia, North Face and Cabelas all make solid versions.

Waterproof Camera

Everyone wants to snap a photo on their phone. We love the idea of making your friends and family drool over that big pike that came flying out of the weeds and almost ripped the rod out of your hand! But your phone is not waterproof. The Axis Go Waterproof Smartphone Housing (& float) lets you expand your fish photography skills. The wide angle lens lets you capture both above and below the water, keeping the fishing wet and getting the angler’s big smile.

AXISGO

Waterproof Hard Case

Pick something that fits your needs but as small as possible (such as Pelican 1040 or 1060.) They are just the right size to store your phone, camera, fishing licence and medication in a crush-proof, waterproof home.

Quality Polarized Sunglasses

In fact, get 2 pairs. Find a frame you like and buy a back up! Squinting your way through a week of fishing or being frustrated with poor fitting ones is not cool. We strongly recommend glass lenses. They have quality polarization and protect your eyes from flying lures. To test if your glasses are polarized find a digital LCD display (car radio, watch, gas pump, ATM machine), take them off, hold them out in front of your eyes. You should be able to see the display through the lens. Then turn the frame slightly to an angle and the display should be blacked out. Our guide team loves Costa Del Mar shades with mirrored green lenses – perfect for sight fishing. The rate of success in casting to a fish goes up immensely if you can see it and are not just guessing!

Gaiter or Buff

This amazing tube of fabric has endless uses. It keeps sun, wind and bugs off your face and neck. Plus, it looks pretty cool. Lighter colors work better for sight fishing. Think of a fish looking up from underneath the water… light colors blend into the sky, while a bright pink Buff might just catch its eye while you are trying to stalking it.

Multi tool

A good multi tool is an indispensable accessory for thousands of uses. Look for scissors and a file as fishing – friendly options. Leatherman is the standard.

Travel Mug

You likely have a couple of these in the cupboard at home already but splurge on a good quality one for your angler. Having a vessel to carry your coffee in the morning or a cold drink at night is never a bad thing. If you are visiting Scott Lake, you can even experience the the rare pleasure of dipping it over the edge of the boat for a drink of cold, pristine water right from the lake. YETI makes a great series of these products.

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