THE SWEETNESS OF SUMMER
On the 60th parallel summer often comes in small doses, but our tenth group in camp had a full serving. The weather was about as perfect as it could be for at least four of their five day stay. And then just a cloudy day to send them home. There is nothing like being this far north and still have temps in the high 70s with pleasant breezes. I could not have been better. Chip Webster liked the fishing as well. He landed a 49.5” pike, tying the season high with two earlier anglers. Lots of big fish were caught—133 to be exact. The big story of this mid-season week though was the trout story. They are finally down in their summer holes where the guides can find them and where our anglers can hook them. It was a banner trout week. There were 19 trophy trout brought to the big guide nets, including some real monsters. Seven of 40” or better! At the rod end of those huge fish were Steve Bandt and Rob Borden with 40s; our official “trout guy” Mike Scheidt and Steve Bandt again with 41s; Dean Jansen and yes, Steve Bandt again, with 42s; and finally, a Scott Hospitality Team member, Tasha Stasiuk, with a after-work 43, by far her biggest trout ever. (Tasha has been fishing this summer exactly three times and has this 43” trout and a 45” pike in the books—that’s a plate full of good luck.)
Grayling were also on the menu this week. The rivers we fish are finally getting low enough (it’s been a very high-water season) for effective fishing. John and Jim Borden, long time Scott regulars, combined for 25 grayling trophies on a fly out and Jim landed two at 20”, about the top end for grayling in this part of the world. John used his 19” grayling on his way to a 100+Club jacket with 102 total pike/trout/grayling inches. There were some Trophy Triples as well. Patrick Viola did it the easy way, getting all three of his trophies in a single day. Tony Trusso also got his Trophy Triple hat. Frank Scott and Jason Lukert joined the big fish parade with 45” pike. There is nothing like summer on the 60th parallel.
