The Fly Fishing Experience

There are those fishermen among us who, when given the opportunity to go fishing, reach for the traditional spin casting gear, their tackle box, and an assortment of spoons, jigs, and crank baits. Then there are those who think of fishing as a combination of science and poetry. The skill and precision and rhythm of the casting motion, the careful fly selection, the art of the presentation. It’s a combination of talents to put the right fly in the right place at the right time. We are both kinds of people here at Scott Lake Lodge. We just flat out love to fish and spin casting or fly fishing gets us going each and every morning.

Fly Fishing for Northern Pike

Most Pike fishing at Scott Lake Lodge is done in relatively shallow waters, an ideal setting for fly fishing. A heavy weight rod (8 or 10 weight) and a steel leader with a streamer fly and you are on your way. Most of our Pike on the Fly fishing is done from a boat, casting to the shallows so waders are usually not required. But make sure your boots are tied on and you have a firm grip on the rod. When a 40 inch pike slams your streamer and starts head shaking, you want to make sure you hold on for the rest of the battle.

Fly Fishing for Arctic Grayling

Using a light weight fly rod (4 wt), standing waist deep in a flowing river, and casting flies to a fish about to give you an acrobatic battle. Sounds like a Rocky Mountain trout stream. Once you pull on your waders and take your turn at fly fishing for Arctic Grayling in Northern Saskatchewan, you will have a new definition for the epitome of fly fishing.

Fly Fishing for Lake Trout

While Laker Trout can be targeted on the fly all season long, spring and fall are prime time to toss fur and feather to shallow trout. Your pike gear (8-10wt, floating and intermediate line) Spring time lake trout are up cruising shallow sand drop offs or even in pike bays! It is not uncommon to cruise the drop off edge and spot Lakers in the crystal clear water of Scott Lake. Sighting fishing to cruising lake trout? No we are talking! As summer settles in lake trout settle into the deeper holes and become more challenging to target on fly rods. The deep drop method with a heavy full sinking line and streamer fly is the only way to get down. As waters cool into fall, trout again come shallow…this time with spawning on their mind. Targeting trout on the shallow reefs is a sight to behold, hundreds of trout of all sizes in a melee of fins and tails chomping aggressively at passing flies.

Choose Your Fishing Experience

At Scott Lake Lodge we have a wide range of world class fishing experiences. (See also The Northern Pike Experience, The Lake Trout Experience, The Arctic Grayling Experience.) We are proud to offer you the choice of making the experience yours by choosing your schedule and your destinations. Perhaps you are looking to knock a few items off your bucket list by landing a trophy northern pike or trophy lake trout. Perhaps you are a die hard fly fishing enthusiast and you want to target all three main species on your fly rod. Perhaps you are after the triple crown trophy experience, a trophy of each of our three main species. We have put together our Scott Lake Lodge Experience Packages with pre-built agenda and destinations. These are the starting points, a healthy suggestion of how to follow your passions while at Scott Lake Lodge. Now we want you to take our suggestions and make the plan, the experience, your own. We encourage you to begin with one of our Experiences, talk with your fishing guide, and craft your own truly memorable fishing adventure and experience at Scott Lake Lodge.

Wholdaia

We just can’t say enough about this flyout lake. There is so much more to this lake we haven’t even fished yet. Wholdaia is a monster of a lake with monster fish. New in 2016 it immediately produced some very heavy Pike. Since our first encounters, we have found excellent success fly fishing this destination as well, for Pike, Grayling, and even Lake Trout. See more about Lake Trout on the Fly). It is part of the famed Dubawnt River system and is so large it took all of 2016 and a chunk of 2017 to fish even half of it. After five seasons, we are getting a handle on this lake and it’s many hot spots. We now have five boats there so we can really cover the lake. It could well become our crown jewel in a collection of amazing gems. It is vast with so many bays and arms (sounds like a Fly Fishing dream doesn’t it?) that getting an accurate size estimation is almost impossible, but it makes Scott or even Selwyn feel small. This lake is a fly fishing buffet.

Lefty Falls

Shown on some maps as Hunt Falls, Lefty Falls by any name is one of the most beautiful places in Canada (yes, that’s saying a lot). In addition to having the serenity and solitude of a national park quality setting, Lefty offers first rate Arctic Grayling fishing. When you go here, top of your gear list should be a light weight fly rod. Grayling on the Fly is a treat only available in the north. After a fifteen minute hike (fairly steep and not for everyone) to the base of the falls you can fish downstream for about a mile.

The Grease River here is fast but with enough pools to provide wonderful fly fishing. Lefty typically produces great numbers but not necessarily our biggest Grayling. Twenty inchers are possible but rare: a great angling experience is standard. There are enough caddis and midges to keep the Grayling fat and happy. Many Scott customers do a half day at Lefty and fish Scott for the balance of the day. If you love fly fishing and are one of those enlightened souls who love Grayling you will want to spend a full day.

Ivanhoe

This is another Triple Crown potential lake, imagine Pike, Grayling, and Lake Trout all on the fly, all in one day! Ivanhoe has always been the Pike lake by which we measure the rest: it’s our gold standard. It is a big lake though, you will not see more than half of the lake in a full day. The action is usually fast. It consistently produces a lot of trophies. It has great shallow bays for early season and lots of cabbage beds for mid to late season (doesn’t that sound like Pike on the Fly Paradise?). One large hole near the landing zone can produce trophy Lake Trout. The Arctic Grayling fishing is excellent and just a 20-minute warm up hike away. Ivanhoe has lots of interesting topography and a beautiful waterfall at the south end, a great setting for your fly fishing pictures.

Sandy

When you think Sandy, think about one of our top big Northern Pike producers. Now think about that big Northern Pike thrashing away with your fly in it’s mouth Sandy is part of the Dubawnt River system. It’s a shallow lake with lots of aquatic vegetation, an ideal place for jolting strikes and lots of Pike. Sandy has the famed (at least famous to Scott Lake guides) football and soccer fields–huge cabbage patches which are prime in July and August. For June it has some deadly good shallow bays. And it has during the lower water levels of July and August solid Arctic Grayling fishing at the outflow which, at the right water levels, can be fished right from the boat or with a short walk in waders.

Insula

One of our newest lakes, set up in 2016, Insula is a Northern Pike lake, pure and simple. This is a great flyout lake if you want lots and lots of Pike on the Fly action. The Insula story is one of an incredible number of 35-38” aggressive Pike. In 2017, two anglers landed around 200 fish by lunch and were too tired to fish any more: they came home early. Days of 100 + Pike are common. The Pike action here can sometimes be described only as fantasy fly fishing. If you want fast action and “easy” fishing this is your lake.

Though known for fast pike action, Scott guides have discovered a substantial population of good sized Lake Trout that adds to any Insula day.

Smalltree

Smalltree is another opportunity to hook Northern Pike, Arctic Grayling and Lake Trout on a fly rod, all in the same day on the same lake. It has become for many of our guides the “go to” lake for trophy Pike. Smalltree is blessed with an abundance of cabbage and other aquatic vegetation that concentrate Pike. Early season finds Pike at Smalltree in literally inches of water, a great opportunity to experience pike bursting from the weeds to slam your streamer fly. There are two quality Lake Trout holes as well, so you might want to bring some heavy sinking flies and a sinking leader to chase these down the water column. It also has one excellent Arctic Grayling spot, where some of our biggest Grayling are taken, at the outlet, a boat ride of about 25 minutes with lots of big Pike spots on the way. There have been many Trophy Triple days here and even some 100+Club days—a “Done-in-One” experience. Smalltree is the most northerly of any of our flyouts; a 45-minute tour in the Otter takes you to the land of “small trees” and a hint of true tundra. It’s been a Scott Lake Classic for many years. A lake that just keeps giving and a fly fishing heaven.