Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions (answered below): Amenities ~ Cost ~ Travel
Fishing Questions (click here)
Amenities
- 1. Just how nice is this place?
Very nice. Considering that every board, nail, piece of furniture, every everything had to be flown in it is a miracle, a wonder of the fishing world. All the cabins are private, two person rooms with pine paneling, wood floors, custom made beds, private bath with shower and the most comfortable comforters you’ve ever experienced. All rooms have a wildlife theme (moose, wolf, trout, loon, etc) except Aurora which of course has artwork and books on the northern lights. The main lodge, Laker Lodge, is also rustic wood paneled with dramatic views of Scott Lake. At Laker Lodge there is a cedar hot tub for your use. Scott Lake Lodge is home to Stone Haven Spa where you can get the all those fishing knots in your back untied. There is a media center for internet access or DVD watching, but our outdoor offerings should put these recreations way down the list. New in 2010 is a traditional Finnish sauna, right at the front dock. Yes, it is a very nice place where fresh spruce woodchip walkways take you around the 12 acre island. It is the kind of place you can bring your spouse or your best customer and not wonder if you will end up looking like a hero or a zero. Definitely hero!
2. What's the dining like?
Everything about the lodge is informal but elegant in its simplicity. Dinners are wonderful. No buffets with almost warm offerings here. Dinners are served with a broad choice of entrées and complimentary wine. One night could be prime rib or duck. The next night an exotic international dish or a fine fillet. No one should plan to come to Scott to lose any weight. The made-at-the-lodge desserts are legendary. Breakfast is made to order with a daily special, but there is always the great fishing lodge standard, Red River. If you haven’t had Red River you haven’t been to Canada. Lunches are typically on an island in the middle of the lake with the best fresh fish you can imagine. Take out lunches are also available.
3. Besides fishing what can I do?
Fishing is the main show but we offer canoeing, kayaking or hiking as optional activities. Of course there is the Spa, the sauna, the hot tub and the bar to help fill the evening hours. In August the northern lights are often on the menu.
4. What's the staff size?
Glad you asked. Experienced anglers will always ask this question. If the answer is less than a ratio of one to one, keep looking for another lodge. At Scott there will be 30 people to take care of 24 customers, probably the highest ratio in Canada. It takes that many dedicated people to make sure everything runs well and smoothly. We have four people in the kitchen for example to make sure that all meals are timely and exceptional. Our guides guide: they don’t fix motors after dinner. And our managers manage. This is a well run organization with clear job descriptions and NO excuses. Our staff retention is amazing. And you will have the opportunity to meet all the staff during your stay. Unlike most lodges, we have staff share the same elegant meals as customers. You can, if you like, have dinner with your guide and share a drink after dinner. It is an open, friendly atmosphere. People come the first time as customers. After that they come as friends and members of an embracing extended family. It’s one of the key things that make Scott a unique fishing destination.
Cost
- 2. What do flyout trips cost?
1. It all sounds wonderful. What does it cost?
Our goal at Scott is not to be the least expensive lodge; it’s to be the best. We keep our prices competitive with our peer lodges but we try to provide the most comprehensive package available. Our price for 2012 for the five day package (that’s a five full days of fishing package that many lodges would call six days -the first evening at the lodge does not involve fishing) is $5,195 US per person plus required Canadian taxes of 3% for GST(General Sales Tax) and a very minimal PST(Provincial Sales Tax). Prices are based on two anglers sharing a room and a boat. There is a charge for solo anglers. The package includes the charter flights from Saskatoon to the lodge and all transfers. In addition to the standard items like a guide for every two anglers, all meals, soft drinks, we include many non-standard items like house wine with dinner, your hotel in Saskatoon on the homeward leg of your trip and complimentary use of the lodge’s quality fishing tackle. That’s a package that’s well wrapped, just like at Christmas. Optional items would be drinks at the bar, flyouts, massage, tackle or clothing purchases and gratuities—a pretty short list. The equivalent value of all the Scott Lake Lodge package inclusions, including the charter flight to Stony Rapids, is approximately $1800. Ask any other lodge you are considering just what their package includes.
Most guests love to explore new water. Fly outs are popular at Scott but they are not required to get into good fishing. Prices are set each spring based on the highly variable US/Canadian exchange rate and the cost of fuel but will start at around $400 per person for the closer lakes and go up with distance from the lodge.
Travel
- 1. Where is Scott Lake Lodge?
- 2. How do I get to Saskatoon?
- 3. How big are the planes I'll be on after Saskatoon?
It’s really in the middle of nowhere which is what makes it special. Find a map and look for the 60th parallel. Then find the middle of Saskatchewan. Let those line intersect and you will be very close to Scott which should be named on almost any map you have access to. We are right on the border of Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories. You will probably fish mainly in NWT waters but you will have the option of going south into the very northern part of Saskatchewan. The border bisects Scott Lake. The lodge is 550 miles almost straight north of Saskatoon, the distance we fly you as part of your package price. LaRonge is a famous fishing area (or it used to be before it was over fished) 350 miles to the southeast. Yes, we are a long ways from Kansas.
Our trips start in Saskatoon. You can reach Saskatoon with daily non-stop flights from Minneapolis on Delta and United from Denver. United also has flights from Chicago with a stop in Regina. Most major Canadian cities also offer service into Saskatoon on Air Canada. Our customer service office can help with information on commercial air travel. We do not provide booking services but we do work with an agency, TravelEx (800-882-0499) in a northern Chicago suburb, that can find the most efficient and least expensive flights to Saskatoon. We do our best to make it easy for you to find the trip of your dreams.
Your charter flight from Saskatoon is on a Saab 340, a very comfortable commuter prop-jet. It has a bathroom and offers cabin service. Yes, that means free beer coming and going. This plane has a capacity of 30 people but to accommodate your gear and our fresh food we limit the flight to our lodge capacity of 24 guests. The flight from Saskatoon to Stony Rapids, Saskatchewan, our float base, is just under two hours. At Stony you will be taken less than a mile to the waterbase where you will board either an Otter or Beaver floatplane for a gloriously scenic flight to the lodge. The Otter flight is about 15 minutes; the Beaver flight about 25.