Well, the sun has to take a break now and then. The final twelve days of the 2010 season were at times sun-challenged but not for a minute fun-challenged. The weather was in the OK, not great but not bad either, category; but most importantly, the fishing stayed strong right to the end.
We had a lot of first timers here during this period and all left with powerful memories of their Scott adventure. But none left with more enduring fishing memories than Tony Tempesta. Tony had heard a few Scott fishing stories from his buddy, long time Scott regular Joe Daugherty, but thought he was listening to just so many fish stories. He didn’t believe how many fish people get here in a single day. Tony is now a believer. On his first day on the lake he catches a few dozen pike including one that took the guide’s tape to 45.5”. And then, just like these sort of things happen every day, he gets another 45.5 incher on the very next day. His son, Mike, got to be a pretty good fish photographer. And dad got his turn behind the lens when Mike caught a pot-bellied 40.5” lake trout as well as a beautiful 18” grayling. Both son and dad are now confirmed Scott regulars.
Regulars and new comers alike got into big fish and became photographers for their fishing partners. Every evening after dinner the big screen was filled with the fish of the day. There were plenty of moans and groans of satisfaction and amazement as the day’s fishing results were viewed. There were a lot of big fish on parade. Peter Mitchell got a personal best 45” pike. Chris Kodosky brought one in just a half inch shorter. And Joe Velas, Larry Miller, Chris Ferraro, and Chris Adkins caught 44 inchers, all of them of the late season fat, fighting, feisty variety.While that’s a lot of big pike, it was the big lake trout brought the house down. The huge bellies of the trout competed with the wide smiles of the lucky anglers and both became the nightly hit of what has been indelicately termed the “fish porn” show. A bunch of anglers landed the lake pigs of 40 inches or more: Frank Shumer, Merry Fahrman, Roy Fouts, Chuck Maw, Nick Fox, Jim Pier, Mark Montesanto, John Kreiling, Cody Jung and Kurt Oliver all watched themselves on screen, standing next to massive fish that somehow seem out of place in freshwater lakes. Some big grayling made the show as well. The Love group put on a real grayling clinic on a fly out river, catching dozens of grayling on fly rods in the 15-18” range.
The good fishing and fun atmosphere in the lodge, the hot tub, the sauna and constant action in the boats turned a lot of the new arrivals into regulars. There were northern lights for those willing to wait up for the show and the excitement of the first hints of fall—some birches turning yellow, the ground cover showing shades of red, the first honks of southbound geese and the wild calling and bunching up of groups of loons as they got ready for their trip south. This is a memory factory: fresh fish on the plate at shore lunch, moose sightings, bear encounters, the arc of eagles cutting through the sky, bent rods on both sides of the boat, the anticipation of the cast right next to the eel grass, bubbles the size of silver dollars drifting up from the big trout coming up slowly to the surface and the flights in the Beaver with views of endless strings of lakes and rivers. This is what a Canadian wilderness fishing adventure is all about. This year the season ended a little too soon but with solid rebookings in hand the odds of extending the season for 2011 look pretty good. And the odds of having a good time at Scott Lake Lodge?… 100% See you next season.