by Tammy MacDonald | Apr 21, 2013 | 2013 Season
Report from the North:
Bear Repair
The work has begun to repair the damage that one apparently angry black bear inflicted on Laker Lodge at Scott Lake. For three weeks Chester Porteous (you know him as The Poacher) and our new winter watchman, Tell Keiper, have been cleaning up after our not so friendly bruin friend. The more they looked the more they found. Somehow this determined critter clawed through the floor under our ovens and destroyed all the controls as well as ripping off the doors of an commercial oven that weighs probably a thousand pounds. A new stove is ordered and will be put in well before our June 11 opener. Since it’s too big for the Otter it will make the trip from Stony Rapids dangling from a helicopter, maybe a first for any commercial oven. The lodge floor did not survive the attack either with parts of it ripped out. A work crew will be landing on the ice in late April to tackle all the Laker Lodge tasks, complete the work on reflooring all the guide boats and do the normal annual chores of getting the infrastructure in perfect condition, including the cutting of several hundred trees to create the wonderful spruce chipped trails connecting the guest cabins to the main lodge (Laker Lodge) and the boat docks.They will be essentially be stuck there until lake opens allowing float planes to again take to the air and land on Scott Lake. The job is big but the plan is tight. We look forward to seeing the faces of our several hundred “regulars” when they see all the improvements around the island.
Winter Hanging On
The winters at Scott are always long and cold. This year is no exception. There is a lot of snow which bodes well for a continuation of the high water levels we had last season which allowed the guides to get back into some of their favorite shallow bays. Unlike last winter when the lake just crawled with caribou, they have been scarce this winter with the concentrations to the north and east of Scott. It’s been a relatively quiet winter with a lot less snowmobile traffic on Scott. The Native hunters and trappers are heading further north this winter for their rendezvous with the caribou herds that travel hundreds of miles from the far tundra in late fall to spent the winter near the treeline just above the 60th parallel.
Report from the South
Full House
As we head into the final month of our booking season we are confident that we will have a full house all season at Scott. The number of repeat customers from last season was well over 300 and a lot of new guests have signed on for 2013. We are headed for a record number of guests this season, keeping all of our guides on the water straight through from June 11th to September 3rd. We thank all of our dedicated repeat customers and the new guests for their support and trust. The entire team at Scott is counting down the days to the first day back on the island. It is a remarkable community that develops every season at Scott. We have nearly all of our staff returning for the 2013 season. There will be a lot of hugs on the dock when staff and customers meet again. It’s just that kind of place.
For anyone still thinking about a trip to Scott this summer now is the time to make a move. Their are still some spots scattered through the season and we do get the occasional cancellation. Our Sales Manager, Jon Wimpney, is always close to his phone and laptop, even on the recent Guide Retreat in the jungles of Nicaragua. Give him a call at 306/209-7150- or drop him an email at j5@scottlakelodge.com for the latest availability. Or just call to talk fishing: it’s in his blood.
by Tammy MacDonald | Feb 12, 2013 | 2013 Season
It’s dark and cold on the 60th parallel in February. But it’s the time when the caribou move into the Scott Lake area and fleets of snowmobiles head north to meet them. It’s time for the winter watch at Scott. This year General Manager John Gariepy, Sales Manager Jon Wimpney and former head guide Ken Johnson went north to settle in Tell Kieper, the new winter caretaker, for his long vigil. It was a good thing we decided on a winter presence this year. What they found up north will involve a lot of extra work next spring. The story from Jon Wimpney:
Report from the North:
The Uninvited Guest
“Heading north to the lodge is always amazing regardless of the season. This trip was no different. At Stony Rapids we all jumped in the Twin Otter for the twenty minute flight to the lodge. The entire landscape was covered in snow and hoarfrost-a fantastic trip. When we started circling the island Johnny noticed that some of the plywood covering the windows in the main lodge was missing. Weird I thought I remember putting them up last fall with Paul Hamilton. We checked out the main lodge right away but we were not really prepared for what we found. The interior which we cleaned perfectly last fall was pretty much trashed. A bear clawed his way in through the back kitchen door and apparently just went berserk. It looked as though he had spent days inside exploring the whole building with his mouth. He even ate a big chunk of the leather couch in front of the fireplace. He was in a a nasty mood: the custom wood blinds were busted into dozens of pieces; wood trim was ripped off the walls; tables were tipped over; a refrigerator was dragged around the kitchen; everything in the kitchen was knocked over; a commercial coffee grinder was somehow destroyed and everything even remotely edible was eaten. He left through a window but didn’t bother to open it. Just one huge mess.
And the path of destruction wasn’t finished. He ate his way through the dry storage room, consuming thousands of calories of pasta, rice and many pounds of non-perishable foodstuffs. He peeled off the metal doors to the building like he was opening a sardine can. One tough bear. The worst though was knocking off the door to the battery storage room. That allowed the heat from the batteries which get some power from the weak winter sun to escape. The batteries were nearly frozen. Even after cleaning off the solar panels we could not get any power. For two days we sat in the dark playing poker by headlamps. That got old fast so we tried to start the diesel generator-at 44 below F. It took an entire day to get it thawed out enough to start it. But we got it going and finally had power and internet.
Hard Water Trout Fishing
On the bright side fishing was pretty good. Even though it was 30 below or worse every day we were able to wet some lines. We got lake trout every time we tried. Nothing is better than fresh trout dinner at Scott in the middle of winter. There was one trout though that was way too big for the pan. I pulled a hog 42 incher through the three foot deep ice, a depth that will keep increasing as winter stretches out. Ken Johnson snapped one picture before the camera froze. There weren’t many animals moving in the deep cold. A few snowmobiles went by the lodge but the numbers were low. We had a few mild winds while we were there. Our estimate of the coldest wind chill was around 60 below. Cold! It made the runs to the outhouse pretty quick.”
Report from the South:
Great Booking Numbers
Life was much easier in Rhinelander, Wisconsin where Shirley Albrent and Michelle Pyrchalla were helping out quite a few 2013 customers with their trip planning. It has been an incredible booking season so far with deposits now approaching 400. There is no doubt that 2013 will be the best numbers we have seen at Scott since the before the Great Recession. Except for a handful of spots opened up by recent cancellations, all of June and July is booked solid.
August Openings
August always seems to get a bad rap from pike fisherman. Everyone concedes that August is a great month for big trout but a lot of anglers hold out June as the month for pike. That’s certainly true for numbers, but not for size. Last season was like most at Scott over the past 16 years. In August last season we averaged six pike over 45″ per group, twice the number in June. In just 24 days of August fishing (our closing date in 2012 was August 24th) Scott anglers landed some massive pike: thirteen at 44″; eleven at 45″; nine at 46″; two at 47″; two at 48″; one at 49″ and the monster of the year at 51″. August pike are fat and mean. Fishing for August pike takes a bit more patience but it is often rewarded with jarring strikes and extended fights. We still have openings for most of our August trips, but at the current booking pace they will not be available for long.
If You Snooze You Lose
If you want a Scott trip in 2013 give our Sales Manager, Jon Wimpney, a call ASAP. He is now fully thawed out and eager to discuss your Scott Adventure. Call him directly at 306/209-7150. He can give you all the details of the 42 inch trout. For any customer service questions call the office in Rhinelander toll free at 888/830-9525. (From outside the U.S. call 715/362-7031.)
New Video
Denny Olson who spent five days at Scott with his HD camera has just put the finishing touches on a new (it’s about time) promotional video about the Lodge. He hit a great week with both a 45″ and a 47″ pike coming to the cradle just for his camera. The 18 minute film will be available on DVD from the Rhinelander office soon but is posted now on the brand new SLL YouTube Channel. Click here to check it out: The Scott Lake Experience
by Tammy MacDonald | Dec 22, 2012 | 2013 Season
John Gariepy, Scott’s General Manager, is already ordering fuel and everything from duct tape to light bulbs for the season ahead. We are now placing orders for a lot of new motors including six new Evinrude E-Tech 30 HP motors for our fly out lakes. New fly out boats are also on the short list this year. After Christmas, John and our new winter watchman Gerry Finacti will head north: it’s time to begin the winter watch. The word is out that the caribou are again moving into the Scott Lake area and a brigade of snowmobiles will not be far behind them. After getting Gerry, who has a lot of experience with winter care taking, settled in, John will outline the winter’s work plan. There are 28 buildings on our island and there is never a shortage of work. Top on the project list this winter is stripping off all the old stain on the log siding of the Main Lodge. Not a small or a fun task at 40 below, but it will get done. We wish Gerry well during his lonely vigil on the 60th parallel.
SPRING WORK CREW
We are planning on bringing a substantial work crew to the island in late April, right at the end of the period where an Otter can land on skis. The team will turn all of our boats into like new condition, removing the floors, replacing the floatation foam, putting new vinyl on the floors and buffing out nicks and scratches. They will also stain all the cabins and cut hundreds of trees to give the island’s walkways a deep coat of spruce chips. Few things are more memorable for our customers than taking that first step out of a cabin every morning and inhaling the pungent and highly pleasant aroma of spruce: it’s like Christmas every day. Well, getting a 45” pike might be a little better. Lots of annual maintenance tasks will be completed as well and some not so annual, like a new deck on Caribou. The group will be busy.
