Week 13 in Review: The Sun Came Back and So Did the Fish!

Week 13 in Review: The Sun Came Back and So Did the Fish!

The last few weeks have wreaked havoc on the wood chip paths around the island; daily showers have kept things soaked and in less-than-ideal condition. Our maintenance team has been working double time to get things back in shape, using harrows, tractors, and just plain sweat to get all the wet chips dug out and things prepped for a fresh layer. What we needed most was a break from the rain and some sun…we got it! Not only does it help our landscaping efforts, but it also gets the big fish back up shallow and ready to eat. Lucky 13 was a great week; the crew caught fish, drank fine wines, hot tubbed, steamed in the sauna and had a darn nice time.  The northern lights put on a couple of spectacular displays over the lodge on some clear nights. There is nothing like sitting on the lodge deck or one of the docks, northern lights dancing overhead, loons lifting their haunting calls across the big lake…that’s fishing in the north at its finest.

Back to the angling side of things, our crew landed a lofty total of 184 trophy-sized pike, trout and grayling; northerns made up the bulk of this, with 125 fish over 40” being brought to hand.  To continue our record-setting pace on giants this year, Andy Edwards, a first-timer to Scott, landed a fat 47.5” er in some fast water near an outflow. Similarly, Paul Schultz set the hook into a hungry 47” fish with guide Sean; these two megas bring our season’s tally to an incredible 53 fish over the 47” mark…leaving the past record far behind. The big fish didn’t stop there; Dave Underwood added a 46 and 46.5” pike to the week’s big fish parade. Jason Laughran landed a 45.5” northern, while 45’s were on tap for Justin Crawford, Matt Brown and Al Williamson.  Fly rods, spinners, spoons, plastics- all methods were employed, and it sounded like our anglers enjoyed success all around.

With the pike fishing being on such a hot streak this season, our anglers haven’t put the time in for big trout as in the past. Conditions are prime for tracking down the big tudra sharks in the deep summer holes, although a few already adorned in their fall spawning colours are being caught. Paul Schultz landed a mammoth 43” laker this week, and a 41” er, vaulting him into the season’s lead in the 100+ Club with an incredible 107 total inches for his three trophies. Bill Holvey was over to Selwyn Lake with Poacher; he found a 42-and-a-half-inch hog trout in the big hole there. Ryan Higginbotham added a 41, and Karen Morse a 40 to round out the giant trout of the week.

The grayling rapids continue to draw our anglers to these wild northern rivers; many enjoyed days fishing from the bank or boats, slinging dry flies to these eager bug eaters.  Some incredible video made the cut for the evening Fish Pornsegment after supper; slow-motion leaps and eats in the rapids are always fun to watch.  Lefty Falls again drew interest in a final day trip with the Tilton/Fehrenbacher family. A pizza shore lunch above the falls, some grayling fishing and a nice hike…what a way to end the week. For the first time in a while, our outgoing group sat outside in the sun waiting for the plane ride south. Summer is still here, and we are loving it.