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Fall’s Arrival & The Week 17 Scott Lake Lodge Fall Fishing Report

by Jason | Aug 31, 2018 | 2018 Season

FALL, SETTLING IN

When the 17^th group of the 2018 season landed at Scott Lake Lodge, exactly an hour after their chartered plane from Saskatoon landed at the float base at Stony Rapids, Saskatchewan, many, hailing from distant and warm places, were wearing shorts and sandals. They got a shock of cool air. That grab didn’t last long. It was fall here. As they looked out of the float plane on their landing, they could have seen all the signs: some bright yellow birch leaves, the smoky gold of the tamaracks, and the muted reds of the ground cover. It was fall alright. The fishing was fall as well—for pike it was what the guides call the “low and slow” retrieve for spinners, crankbaits or plastics. Fly enthusiasts were using intermediate or full sinking lines, especially on their first day of fishing when it was cold, real cold. The surface temperatures of Scott Lake and our fly out lakes had dropped several degrees over the past few days and the fish were there but deep. On that first day the fingers were cold but that didn’t stop our anglers from fishing or the fish from biting. We had the straight flush of pike of 41, 42, 43, 44 and 45 that day as well as seven trout trophies. At their cool depths the lake trout didn’t really care what was happening on the top.

On the second day things did warm up and on the fifth day the morning dawned bright and clear. The week ended with an absolutely perfect fall day. It also ended with a big milestone. On that last day, either Bill Russell or Jon Wheat landed our 2,000^th trophy of the season—a record. (Since no one was looking at their watch, we can’t be sure if Bill or Jon got it). In 22 seasons at Scott, we have watched those trophy numbers rise, especially over the past five years, but hitting that mark was special for all the guides who worked hard all season to bring big fish to their guests. Big fish were certainly part of the week. Again, we hit triple digits with the trophy count, many supersized, like the 45” pike landed by Frank Saraka, Mark Readinger, Mark Graf and Scott Sheldon. Or like the one Martin Skolnick got. He came to Scott for the first time to get a big pike. He did. It was a spectacular looking 47.5” feisty, fighting fall pike.

This is the time of year for big trout as well and they made their appearance in the guide’s nets. Mark Graf saw plenty of them, a pair of 38s, a 39 and a 40. Zack Skolnick and Ron Spork admired their 38s. Bud Rector was pretty impressed with a fat 42 that almost filled a big net, but Tim Delaney was astounded by the super fat 43.5” monster that did fill his guide’s big net. That was a fish of a lifetime. Big grayling also filled the small trout nets. Tim got one of those too, an 18 incher as did fishing partner Larry Noesen. Scott Sheldon and Bill Russell did their supersized grayling an inch bigger at 19, both beautifully colored fish. Bill’s big grayling was enough to get him into the 100+Club.

There was a lot of interest in northern lights, but the heavy cloud cover kept them out of view, The group, though, did see some dramatic moonrises, especially the full moon on Day 2. There were many other memorable sights and sounds like the zinging of a reel’s drag, as well as some smells like the first plate of shore lunch, the whiff of the spruce chips on the island’s walkways or the many savory odors of the dinner hour. The group got the full fall treatment and most of them signed up for a return tour in 2019—the best compliment on the service and fishing we could hope for.

The Week 16 Scott Lake Lodge Fishing Report

by Jason | Aug 26, 2018 | 2018 Season

DOG DAYS OF AUGUST? NOT!

At many lodges throughout the northern US and Canada, August is the time to go swimming, have a picnic, play shuffleboard, take a canoe paddle or just sit at the bar. August doesn’t have a good reputation for fishing. Unless you happen to be on the 60^th parallel. The only dog days up here involving watching the black lab, Gozer, take incredible running leaps off the pier to fetch a tennis ball or watching the antics of Rascal, the eight-month old collie, as he tries to steal the ball from Gozer. Those are minor distractions. Our guests are fishing.

This was a memorable week for the August 19^th-24^th guests for three reasons:

It was the most enthusiastic and fun-loving group of the season. From the staff introductions on the first evening to the wild cheering during the nightly trophy announcements to the laughter from the hot tub every evening, this group knew how to have a good time and they found their voice. The expression “a good time was had by all” doesn’t begin to do justice to the experience.
It was the week that marked the unofficial but real transition from summer to fall and it happened on a single day. On the third day the wind which had been blowing from the south or west for weeks did a 90 degree turn and blew with authority from straight north. It brought thousands of geese for a free ride down to the grain fields of southern Saskatchewan and it brought a rather dramatic drop in temperature. It brought fall. At least the geese above had down coats. The anglers below weren’t so lucky. The prior day was around 70 degrees with a mild wind. No one was ready for that blow. Some people even had sandals on when the temperature dropped about 30 degrees over a 24-hour period.
It was simply fantastic fishing with a total of 164 trophies in the books, one of the best trophy weeks of the season.

Since fishing is what Scott Lake Lodge is all about, let’s expand on that word fantastic. It was a week of superlatives. Finally, the dominance of the northern pike in our trophy mix was tempered by a surge of lake trout (40) and grayling (49) trophies. It was a perfect mix. The trophies came in bunches for many of our anglers, like for Mary and Joe Daugherty who landed eleven trophy pike or for Bill Sandbrook and Sonya Boone who landed twelve trophy lake trout or for Cheryl Massie who landed six trophy lake trout. And that was all on the first day! Our fishing started hot and stayed hot despite the intense cold front.

It wasn’t the sheer number of trophy fish (164 is a lot) that impressed our guests—it was the size of some of them. None impressed more than “EL BLIMPO”, a 44” by HUGE lake trout brought in by Bernie Heile. Just behind that trout were other blimps, a 43.5” winched in by Joe Daugherty and a 43” pig landed by Andre Lechowicz. There were 42” trout angled by Bill Sandbrook and Cheryl Massie; 41s by Bill Sandbrook and Andre Lechowicz; a 40 by Cheryl Massie; 39s by Bill Sandbrook, Darrel Massie, Joe Daugherty, Mira Lechowicz and Chris Smisek, and 38s by Jimmy Kloote, Darrel Massie, Sonya Boone and a pair of those by (who else?) Bill Sandbrook. If you’re counting along that’s 18 lake trout of 38” or better, quite a pile. Jimmy Kloote’s was even hooked right on the surface on a pike fly (the classic black bunny leech) in eight feet of water. Who knows where they will show up.

The pike story was similar—lots of trophies (75) and lots of huge fish. There were nine of the supersized variety—45” or more. Those are all memorable fish. But what could be more memorable than getting a royal flush of pike, like Peter Mhyre did, a 44, 45, 46, 47 and 48 (the four biggest in a single day). His 48 tied Joe Daugherty’s as the biggest pike of the week. Five anglers—Mary Daugherty, Susan Smith, Cheryl Massie and Len Dorr—landed 45s. Grayling joined in on the big fish parade this week. Emily and Kayla Mayfield had an amazing day way up north when they landed 17 trophy grayling and saw five herds of musk ox on the way. Grayling of 18” or better (our supersized standard for that species) were caught by Sandra Boone, Mary and Joe Daugherty.

If you are a regular follower of this blog, you know what comes next. It’s simple math: with so many big fish in all three species, it must have been a good week for the 100+Club. It was. Back in Week 13 we had a bumper crop with seven entries. That was a record number. Now we have a new record number at eight. Most interestingly six of those eight—Darrel and Cheryl Massie, Bill Sandbrook and Sonya Boone, Len Dorr and Bernie Heile—were frequent tablemates at dinner. And they all hit their 100” on the same day. The odds makers would have never hit that one but good luck (and skill) makes for good company. Speaking of odds, Mary and Joe Daugherty defined good luck and skilled angling. They became the King and Queen of the 100+Club for 2018. Mary landed at 107.5”, often the biggest number of a season, but husband Joe hit 109.5, just a half inch off the all-time record. Congrats to both for an incredible accomplishment.

And speaking of records, another big one will bite the dust during week 17. In 2017 we set the total trophy record with a huge number—1,965. As the Week 16 crew put away their fishing rods on Day 5, that number stood at exactly 1,900. Getting 66 more trophies is an inevitable as death and taxes, but a lot more fun.

The Scott Lake Lodge Week 12 Fishing Report

by Jason | Aug 13, 2018 | 2018 Season

A Full Retreat

Nortek Global Hvac, LLC, a global leader in air handling technology, decided to send some customers, engineers, sales reps and company executives from all over North America on a three-day corporate retreat to Scott Lake Lodge. But they didn’t retreat. They attacked. And it turns out that they can handle more than air: they can handle fish. In between meetings and bar time, they fished Scott Lake and a few of our 22 fly out destinations, taking up the challenge of moving some northern pike, lake trout and arctic grayling from the water to their guides’ nets. Some were seasoned anglers. Many were not. But everyone caught a lot of fish. Bruno Blasietta led the way, getting a trophy in all three species, to take home a Trophy Triple hat. Dave Williams and Tim Willoughby each landed a 44” pike. Joe Sbarra found himself tied to a heavy 38” lake trout and brought that fish to the net. Brian Black won the Biggest Lake Trout bet with a girthy 39 incher, a close race. The battle for the Biggest Pike of the trip wasn’t even close. On the last day of the trip Mike Tzimentos was on the winning side of a battle with a monster 49” northern pike, the biggest pike off Scott Lake this season. The scene of the battle was just a 15-minute boat ride from the lodge, a time and place Mike will never forget.

There were many highlights, including some northern lights, for this geographically dispersed group but nearly all rated the final full group shore lunch mid-afternoon on the last day as #1. All hands were on deck as the Scott Lake guides demonstrated their culinary skills. The site was a beautiful beach just a mile north of the lodge—Tundra Beach. There is a firepit there big enough to roast a pig. On this day though it was fresh caught northern pike, perfectly filleted. It’s a show to watch the teamwork of 13 guides, most with 15 or more years at Scott, as they put together an incredible spread of food. The menu included, of course, the traditional deep-fried fish and the “supers”—French fries like you’ve never had them. But our guides go way beyond the standard Canadian shore lunch fare. They had a baked fish, pike stir fry, buffalo jack, butter chicken pike and pike chili. All of that with onion rings washed down with lots of beer.

As the plates emptied everyone knew that the trip was reaching its end. It was all too short. After the final boat ride back to the lodge, it was time to make the mental adjustment to the “other world”, the one with meetings, schedules, deadlines, conference calls, full inboxes and dozens of texts. All that was still for tomorrow. They had one more float plane flight to Stony Rapids ahead of them and they had memories of three days of spectacular sunrises and sunsets, the haunting calls of loons, the adrenaline rush of a savage hit by an angry pike and pleasant conversations with colleagues. For that time the only HVAC these guys had to deal with was the breeze off the big, cool lake. They will be back.

Week 11 Scott Lake Lodge Fishing Report

by Jason | Aug 9, 2018 | 2018 Season

DAMN THE TORPEDOS: FULL SPEED AHEAD

After 50 consecutive days of guiding, cooking, cleaning, flying, fixing and muscling around baggage, fuel and food, the Scott Lake team would have plenty of reason to start slacking off. But that’s not what this group is made of. That’s not what any guest who landed on our island on July 30 experienced. At the opening night orientation session, the enthusiasm, energy and excitement were off the charts. You would have thought it was Day 1 of Week 1 not deep into our season. There is just no half-speed for our crew. There is no half-speed for our anglers either. They came to fish and hit the water hard.

Especially one Amy Towers, one of the Scott Lake “regulars”, who wasted no time getting into big fish. One her first day she accomplished the Done In One—getting into the 100+Club by catching a trophy pike, lake trout and arctic grayling whose collective measurements reach or exceed 100 inches. She was full throttle, getting a pike of 45”, a lake trout of 41” and a grayling of 16.5”. But having 102 total inches was just not good enough for Amy. Before her five-day stay ended she had “upgraded” to an 18” grayling and a 42” lake trout. That put her at 105 total inches to lead the season’s 100+Club standings. She also tallied no fewer than 22 trophy fish for her week. Congrats to Amy. And to husband Jeff, who quietly landed 8 trophies and also joined the 100+Club. The action wasn’t limited to the Tower clan. There were bragging rights all around.

Ryan Robbins had an epic day with lake trout. In one of the best lake trout days in recent memory, he pulled 10 trophy lakers into his guide’s big net. They were not just barely “over the line” trophies either—he got two 38s, a 40 and a 41 incher. That’s a day. There were lots of big days this week. With just over a hundred trophies, it’s not surprising that there were many memorable fish. Fish like 45” pike taken by Dave O’Donnell, Tonya Mcgraw and Bob Chadwell. Or like the 46s landed by B Juno Francis and Bill Golz. Bill had a sensational trip, also getting a fat 47” pike which tied Bill Mcgraw’s for the biggest pike of the week. Our menu for the week included big trout. In addition to Amy and Ryan’s haul, Rob Neumann contributed a 41 incher and Betty Chadwell a 40 to the week’s abundance.

As our season has progresses the arctic grayling have been making a more dramatic appearance. The season started with very high water, making fishing for the sailfish of the north tough on the fast-flowing rivers of the area. Now, as the waters are dropping, the grayling are rising and getting within reach of our ultra-light spinning rods and 4-weight fly rods. Some very nice grayling were landed on our rivers: 18 inchers by Amy Towers and Jono Francis and a 19 by Jeff Towers. While not all of our guests go for grayling, those that do love it. It’s a more contemplative fishing experience that going one-on-one with savage pike or pulling lakers out of the depths—the contrast is wonderful.

For many guests there were other trophies besides the ones that earn pins at the nightly trophy ceremony. This week we had the first northern lights of the season (that gets better week by week as we start to get some nighttime darkness, something we don’t have in June and July). We also had a lot of moose and bear sightings as well as the daily sightings of loons, eagles and osprey. There were trophy moments too just enjoying the evening campfire or the conversations at dinner. Scott Lake is about fishing but it’s about more than fishing. Some anglers left with lots of trophy pins or the 100+Club jacket (besides Amy and Jeff Towers, Juno Francis and Ryan Robbins earned that). All our week 11 anglers left with a strong sense of satisfaction after spending five beautiful summer days in one of the most pristine and private settings imaginable. The big fish are a bonus.

What Happened During the 9th Week of Fishing at Scott Lake Lodge

by Jason | Jul 29, 2018 | 2018 Season

FAMILY FUN WEEK

If there is such a thing as a typical Scott Lake Lodge guest, they would look, well, male for starters, with just a bit of white around the temples; they would own a business (or two or three) and would be experienced anglers. Half of the ninth group at the lodge didn’t fit that profile at all. This group was a lot more diverse: more female anglers than usual, a few guests living large in their early 20s, and a lot more kids—seven to be exact (since kids don’t like to be called kids, we’ll call them young adults or teenagers). It gave the week a wonderfully effervescent feel . The cheering during the nightly fish du jour show may have been a bit higher pitched, but it was infectious. It brought out the kid in all of us.

These teenagers were not sitting around consumed by their screens; they were out fishing. In fact, the big fish of the week, a monster 48-inch pike was taken by thirteen-year-old Ben Matherly. It was a beauty and caught in a well-known spot just a pleasant 15-minute boat ride from the lodge. And the person on the 100+Club leader board is now fourteen-year-old Thomas Purcell who fished hard and well and claimed a fat 18-inch grayling, a 45-inch northern pike and on the last day of his trip boated a very plump 39-inch lake trout, giving him a 102 total trophy inches, combining the lengths of his biggest pike, trout and grayling. Greta Hall at the young age of 14 also joined the exclusive club with her three big trophies, including a very heavy 42-inch lake trout, also on the last day of the trip and within sight of the lodge. Other young adults did well too: Kai Boland, Thomas Purcell and Greta Hall earned their Trophy Triple hats; Griffin Kristo nailed a 45-inch pike, and Andrew Matherly pulled a 40-inch lake trout right into his guide’s net.

Our adult contingent wasn’t sitting on their hands or texting on their cell phones either. They were catching big fish as well. Long time guest Art Rice picked a pair of perfect 46-inch pike. Pat Baker got a 46 and Steve Kristo matched his son Griffin’s 45. This was the kick off of our prime lake trout season when the big lakers start to congregate in deep water in search of cooler water temperatures. There were 19 trophy trout taken during the week, the higher number of the season so far. The Kracum clan did some real damage with the big lakers: John got two 39s; Matt got a 39 and a 41; and Rich Kracum got a pair of 40-inchers which helped him get into the 100+Club. Matt and John Kracum got the Triple Trophy hat trick along with Eric hall.

So, big fish and big family fun. It’s all in a season at Scott Lake Lodge. We thank the group of young adults for showing us the way to the pure joy of a day on the water, with or without big fish.