What a week! Great weather, great company and fantastic fishing! The group from week 11 were fraught with luck right from the start of the week, clouds parted and a nice summer high pressure system settled in to kick the pike and trout into overdrive. It was a week where we had our season’s youngest and oldest guests; nice to see that the fishing bug continues to catch amidst all the other things grabbing attention these days. Fishing wisdom was being passed both up and down the years last week and the group seem to thoroughly enjoy their time shared on this island.

Now to the fishing! There was a grayling bite on day 1 on the Dubawnt River north of Ivanhoe Lake, the Marks (Mark Lackner and Mark Heine) caught grayling on dry flies, wet flies…and just about everything else they threw. Both caught 10 trophies that day on the rapids with 18.5” and 18” being their respective biggest. Jeff Towers took pike honors on the first day with a fat 46.5” trophy northern. The second day was highlighted by a couple of beauty 44 Magnums. Mark Velligan got to sight cast his fly to a big 44.5” pike. Tosh Craig (son of head guide Cory) pulled in a jumbo 44” as well….he wasn’t done yet and added a day 4 giant of 46”. On the trout troll Loren Larson managed to battle a 40.5” laker from the depths of Scott. Loren was lucky enough to catch another half dozen lakers from 35-39” …. his arms must have been sore after that day!

The third day had the ladies in camp joining in on the big fish. Priscilla O’Donnell and Betty Chadwell both notch 44.5” trophy northern pike. Tonya McGraw added a 46” as well. On a calm sunny day what more can you ask for from a fly in fishing trip to Canada? Bryce Tharp was doing some pike fishing on one of the flyout lakes in the Northwest Territories and landed a beauty 46” northern pike. A couple anglers were lucky enough to catch all 3 species (northern pike, lake trout and arctic grayling) in trophy size. Ryan Robbins hit his Trophy Triple with a 41.5” pike, a 36” trout and a 15” grayling…at 14 one of our youngest trophy triples this season. Perhaps the Trophy Triple caught by our eldest angler was completed this week by Gus Ruetenik Sr. At 93 years of age Gus has learned a few things about catching big fish at Scott Lake, he got a 40” pike a 39” laker and a beauty grayling from outflow of Sandy Lake to receive his hat! We had 1 angler hit the coveted 100”+ mark this week. Fishing with Jan, Amy Towers caught a mammoth 48.5” pike on day 4, on day 5 she added a buzzer beater 37.5” trout and a 16” grayling from the base of scenic Lefty Falls on the Grease River. Amy ended up with 101” of trophy fish! Congrats Amy and all the anglers on week 11. Let this be a lesson to all of you folks that think fishing isn’t as good as it is the first week of the season….just ask the week 11 group what they thought of fishing in the dog days of summer!

The 10^th week of our season highlighted the flexibility required to continue the trend of great fishing our guests have become accustomed to. Ever changing weather conditions, sun, rain, smoke, and wind…mother nature threw just about everything she had at this week’s group of anglers. This week the guides were kept on their toes switching the patterns to chase pike on rocks, weeds, drop-offs, and in bays! Big fish have started to set up on windy shores and summer weed beds, having veteran guides pays off in pike; big ones! They have a mental catalogue of milfoil, eel grass cabbage and 100’s of different addresses of big pike on Scott and the 20 odd flyout lakes we fish. Week 10, they fished them in the weeds when it was raining, on the shorelines when the wind howled and right back in the springtime bays when the sun shone. Anglers were treated to a full gamut of our big pike tactics, including the coveted sight fishing action of the shallows. 99 trophies hit the nets or cradles this week. The pike charge was led by John Borden with a 47” trophy northern pike. John and guide Jan didn’t rest on their laurels and added and big trout and grayling to the total to enter John into the growing ranks of the 100+ Club. Nick Tallman split his time between pike and trout, Graham found the right trout spot and put Nick on a monster 41” laker. A hike to the grayling rapids on the Dubawnt River netted Nick a bevy of big ‘lings; then back in the boat a 43” northern pushed Nick’s trophy total over 100”. Jeff Hoskins made his first trip to Scott Lake memorable with a Trophy Triple. The Olsons (Tom and Tim) along with guide Biff, put on a day 4 pike clinic finding big fish hunkered down in Smalltree’s famed cabbage beds. The duo caught an astounding 13 trophy northern pike between 40 and 45” …. truly a testament to what managing pressure on our network of lakes can do. How can you beat it, a flyin fishing trip to the border of Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories at the end of July and fishing for big northern pike? That’s not the end of the story for this week though…

As summer progresses and trout become concentrated in “the holes” opportunities to do battle with the true giants of the northern lakes comes more frequent. Each year Mike Scheidt comes up to fish with guide Paul Hamilton, the pair are a terror on trout. Boating numbers and size the team were successful on many trophies with the biggest a girthy specimen of 39.5”.

A milestone was passed this week, on day 3 Chuck Webster caught a 42” northern pike, that put the total number of inches of just our trophy size pike (those 40” and bigger) over 40,000!!! In Canadian measure that is 1 Kilometer (0.6 miles) of trophy pike caught in 2017. A true testament of the successful pairing of great guests and a guide staff that can take just about any curveball the northern summer can throw at them and hit it out of the park! There is no reason to sit at home and reminisce about the good old days of Canadian fly in fishing…. they were not as good as things are now at Scott Lake Lodge, strict catch and release and fish handling rules and a plan to manage (even the limited amount in a summer) fishing pressure means there are more and bigger northern pike, lake trout and grayling in our systems. What are you waiting for? The time is now!

What is the significance of 100? As most Scott Lake anglers are aware, this number represents a
lofty goal of angling success for a week. While everyone catches fish and most everyone catches
big fish, to put together a near perfect week for 3 species on a number of waterbodies and
under a variety of conditions is special indeed! The 9th week of our season proved to be electric…energy and anticipation of the week ahead was at near fever pitch in the lodge, as
many first timers were welcomed to the Scott Lake family; wondering just what was in store for
them. Further to the electric week, there was quite a few brilliant lightning shows that, while
enjoyable from the lodge window, were less than welcome while our anglers and guides were
running for cover. Sometimes major weather events can shut the fishing right off, sometimes
they are a catalyst to some great things…lucky for the week 9 group it was the latter.

With raingear on, dry bags packed, the anglers and guides set out to prove the weather couldn’t
stop them. Guide Paul Hamilton had 2 sisters in the boat and they got into great fishing right
away…Debbie Blue and Susie Trzos were both on fire this week. Debbie got into a number of
great pike and lake trout then finished off her Trophy Triple with a beauty grayling from Sandy
Lake. A gracious host, Debbie let Susie get a few casts in as well; it didn’t take her long to shake
the rust off her fishing skills under Paulie’s tutelage…Susie hit the Trophy Triple with a 42.5”
northern pike, a monster 42” laker and a 17.5” grayling…for you math buffs out there that adds
up to 102 total inches, making Susie the first entrant into the 100+ club for the week. A big
trout (42”) and big pike (44.5) helped John Kracum reach 104.5 inches. James Kracum, caught
and released some beauties on the way to his entrance into the Club. Waiting until the last few
minutes of his trip Rich Kracum took the lead from his son with 105”!! Punctuated by a buzzer
beater 43” magnum lake trout!! Way to go Rich and guide Greg! Dick Witwer found something
special on the end of his fly line this week. Casting the shallows Dick was lucky enough to latch
on to a 47” giant northern, he added a grayling and trophy laker to secure his 100+ Club jacket
as well. The last entry into the Club this week is by a gentleman that may need a separate closet
for all his 100+ Club jackets…Joe Daugherty, a Scott Lake veteran, hit 101.5” total with some
beauty fish and great guiding by Jan. This pair has teamed up for more than a few beauties in
their careers here at Scott. Congrats on another one Joe!!

So, by the numbers week 9 had 105 trophy fish brought to the boat, 31 of those came on the
second day when incoming storms set the fish on the feed. 7 lucky anglers caught the Trophy
Triple and 6 of those made 100” or better for entry into our 100+ Club. What the numbers don’t
convey is the fellowship, friendship and excitement this island on the 60th line of latitude
breeds, drinks were share, cigars smoked, old friends caught up about the goings on in the last
year and many first-time guests were welcomed into the family. The small details that our
world class (a quote from many week 9 guests) staff consistently deliver on, a quick glimpse of
the sunset on a stormy evening, big fish that were caught (or almost caught!) and time spent
with friends. These are the memories that drive Scott Lake Lodge and the experience here. If
you haven’t made the choice to visit us for your fishing vacation we suggest you do so quickly,
in order to make sure you have a front row seat for 2018.

It would have been a great week for kite flying or windsurfing. There is no way to paint the picture other than conditions were tough, an arctic cold front came sweeping down to chill the water and with it came the wind…. lots of wind. The 25 intrepid anglers gave it their all, casting, trolling and jigging up catches under close direction from our guide team. This is where a professional team of guides really shines, prime conditions and easy fishing, can make anyone look good at the tiller, what sets our group apart is their ability to produce when things get tough. Day 1 (the nice day!) showed a promising start to the week with 23 “overs” hitting the nets, pike were shallow and soaking up the sun, Lakers were ready biters down deep and gave the lucky guests a work out. Joe Velas led the pike charge on the first day with a giant 45” pike, caught while fishing with his long-time guide Biff. The sunny skies unfortunately didn’t last into the next few days. Big fish were hard to come by but the crew worked tirelessly to make great days out of nothing.

Everyone caught fish, bears and moose were sighted and even in one case decided to join shore lunch with Nuggs and his anglers Pete and Pat. The trio decided lunch was best shared from the comfort of the boat while the bruin ate his share on the beach. Through the wind and waves some big fish came to the net. Jon Wolfe was the lone Trophy Triple recipient, hitting the mark with a 41” pike, a 35.5” lake trout and a beauty 17.5” grayling. Jon and Warren Sekino enjoyed some phenomenal grayling fishing on the Dubwant River with guide Cory under sunny skies on day 5.

Now in the midst of trout season, the guides have their sights set on these denizens of the deep. On day 4 Paul Hamilton put his guests on some giants, Mike Rosenberg was forced to release a beauty 38” with little fanfare because his boat mate Ralph Russell had something serious on the line. Ralph battled, gained line, lost some and eventually brought to net a MAMMOTH 44x 26.5” trout. The trout crew got some great photos and sent her back to be enjoyed by another angler. Day 4 also had the lodge hit a milestone for the year. Ken Williamson Sr. was kind enough to land our 1000^th trophy for 2017, a 41.5” northern pike. Halfway through the season and 1000 pike, trout and grayling exceeded our trophy specs. A job well done by both the guides and anglers.

As we move into the second half of the season it is exciting to wonder what is in store for the anglers in July and August. The cold weather should keep some big fish shallow, stay tuned for next week’s report. Better yet, come visit us and see things first hand!

Lucky 7’s…the seventh week of the season, seventh month of the year of 2017 had Scott Lake Lodge guests full of luck. This week was hot, both weather wise and on the fishing front. Despite being on the 60^th line of latitude Scott Lake sees hot weather in the summer. Mother nature put on a show for the first 3 days of week 7, with calm waters, blue skies and temperatures in the mid 80s. This was important for 2 reasons, first the big northern pike that lurk in Scott and the surrounding flyouts got hungry, and second the cold water loving lake trout dropped into the holes. This created a perfect storm for the guides and guests plying our waters, trout concentrated in the depths and giant pike started on a feeding frenzy. This week was proof, any week of the year at Scott Lake Lodge can be the best…the fish don’t care if it’s June, July or August, when the conditions are right, they chow down!!

Nothing is sweeter than being in the right place at the right time, our guides have a knack for putting our guests in just that situation and week 7 was no different. 159 trophies hit the nets this past week, and some were giants! In the shallows, the big pike came early and often to Scott guests. Jake and Justin Linaberger started hot with a bunch of big pike, they topped out at 42” and 43.5” pike respectively. Justin added a 40” jumbo laker to his tally, not to be outdone Jake hauled up a giant 43” laker. The drags were screaming in their boat that day! The pair did a walk and wade for grayling, with much success, adding both their names to the 100+ club roster. Gene Brzek, in the boat and rapids with guide T-bag was throwing flies to big pike and on day 1 put a cast in front of a most accommodating 44” northern. Gene had a hard time deciding which fought harder, the big pike or the 39” laker that didn’t want to leave the bottom. After an afternoon in the grayling rapids Mr. Brzek notched a trophy triple and 100+ club entry.

Despite some summer storms, Steve Keith put on a clinic for big pike, Steve had just about every number over 40” topping out with a mammoth 47” water wolf, that came charging out of some flooded grass to inhale his bait. Steve made the 100+ club with a 39.5” trout and a day 5 grayling from the rapids on the Dubwant River. A week like Steve’s doesn’t often get overshadowed by his fishing partner, but the other side of Cory Craig’s boat for the week Rhys Reese put on a show…. numerous big pike came to hand for Rhys, but none bigger than his personal best 48.5” leviathan! Rhys rolled lucky 7s out of the gate because he followed up his big pike with a monster 42” laker…that was just the first morning! After a fast start Rhys waited all the way until the last day to catch his grayling, 18.5” of artic sail fish gave Rhys 109” of Scott Lake fish, a lofty mark for the year. The Fierbaugh’s fished hard and came up big with many “overs” and many just under that they admitted fought even harder than the big ones. Tim Fierbaugh caught fire on day 4 of his trip bringing 7 pike over 40” to the boat. Partners Frances Sun and Daniel Speilman, were in the boat with Jan this week. Both had a blast, both caught trophy triples. Daniel hit the 100+ club with beauty grayling, a 38” Abitau Lake trout and a magnum Scott Lake pike, measuring on a tight tape 48.75” to take the honors for pike on week 7.

The guests weren’t the only ones catching big fish. Office manager Mason, had Claire out for a fish on her birthday, it wasn’t long until she celebrated in style with a 43”er!

If we could script a week to repeat 16 times at Scott Lake, this would be it, great weather, great fishing and great company. No wonder nearly all of our guests chose to rebook with us before leaving…the highest compliment we can receive.