Winter Update 2019

Winter Update 2019

by | 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.