Countdown to Week 1 2024

Preseason Prep

We have so much to get ready to open the lodge after 8 months of winter’s grip on this 12-acre island right about 60 degrees north latitude. The list is long, but the group is hardworking and talented, so we’ll be excited to share some improvements soon.

Rewind a few months, there was a ton (literally many tons) of work done to set the spring crew up for some successful builds and renovations. In response to new flight duty regulations that came into effect in 2023, we decided to fly as much as we could in winter. The end goal was to preserve as many summer hours as possible for guest flyouts.  This was a huge investment and effort, but we pulled it off.  Setting up a new bulk fuel system in February is a whole new kind of fun!  Six new bulk tanks were carried in by helicopter and set into place on the island.

By late March, the sun hangs in the northern sky a little longer, allowing the Turbo Otter get some serious work done. Twenty-eight loads of fuel, lumber and freight made the scenic flight to the island in March. We were blessed with clear, albeit cold weather. Perfect for work and even a little fishing.

Improvements

Constant, incremental improvements…this has long been the adage of Scott Lake Lodge. We pore over the thoughtful comments in your evaluations and incorporate them into our planning. We take what you tell us seriously. To that end, we are building yet another staff cabin and bringing on more staff. We are committed to providing the finest, personalized customer service of any fishing lodge. Next on our road map is the complete overhaul of all the guest cabins. Bear is first up and getting an exciting expansion for this season.

Careful readers will notice a new lake in our flyout offerings. Mosquito Lake will be open once the ice melts (usually early July.) It is a long way north of Scott on the tundra but offers exciting fishing opportunities for big grayling and lakers. The chance to see caribou, muskox and barren ground grizzly make this a unique option. We’ll be getting you there faster and in style thanks to our new Caravan, which replaces GQD (Beaver.) The reliability, capacity and cruise speed are a welcome addition to our aviation program.

Countdown

There are less than 30 days until our Week 1 crew sets foot on the island. Every year our staff are hustling right until the last minute…the list of jobs to get done is immense! If you are joining us for the 2024 fishing season we have some work for you to do as well.

We ask you fill out your Pre-Trip Planner online so we have the necessary information to purchase your fishing licenses and catch any special requests or dietary needs you may have.

The planning stage of any trip is exciting: the anticipation, zooming in on Google Earth, checking for recent big fish on social media…embrace this part. We will be sending some pre-travel reading to you, so please take time to familiarize yourself with the Adventure Guide and important travel details in the email correspondence prior to your arrival. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out: Jason, Jon and Shirley are happy to help.

The Guest Portal has all of the pertinent information including an FAQ section about your upcoming trip. As a reminder, we do encourage you to arrive in Edmonton the day prior to your charter north if at all possible. This extra padding mitigates any airline mishaps such as lost bags or missed connections.