Getting Ready

I can’t begin to express how nice it is to get back to the island. Myself and small, excited crew touched down on Scott Lake on the first of June to temperatures in the 70’s. The ice had retreated enough around the island to just get the Beaver down and to the dock. Since then, 18 round trips with the Beaver has brought in groceries, fuel, supplies, pop, and of course the beer. At 1300 lbs a trip, the crew have been kept rather busy, smiling the entire time. With all of our supplies in place, we are turning to preparing the island and boats for the arrival of our first group of guests on the 10th.

While the weather had cooled down considerably, some steady winds have beat the ice back to almost completely open water. The forecast looks great for the following week, the lake will be wide open, and the fly outs will be ready to go. I am looking forward to having guests back on the island and running the finest fishing program on the continent. The 10th can’t come quick enough.

See everyone on the dock!

Spring Update 2011

Ice Report

The temperatures at Scott Lake have been warmer than normal this spring, to say the least.  At this writing Stony Rapids hit a high of just under 80 degrees, far warmer than here in Bozeman MT, about 1100 miles south. Since there is no one at Scott right now, we can only assume that the wonderfully unseasonable weather has visited the lodge. The  long term forecast is cooler but still well above average:  the only ice our first group coming in on June 10th should see will be the cubes in their favourite drinks. The stage for an early ice out was set months ago when the heavier than normal snow cover provided an insulating cover and prevented the formation of our typical six to seven feet of ice. We love these “no drama” springs.

Staff Retreat

From April 22-27th most of the Scott Lake guide staff and the departmental managers got together for the annual “get ready for the season” company meeting/fishing trip in Chilliwack, British Columbia. This beautiful city, surrounded by mountains, is next to the mighty Frasier River, a river on par with the Columbia. And a river with massive sturgeon. While the trip was a pre-season planning session which helped integrate some new staff members to the team, sturgeon fishing was the daytime activity. And daytimes were busy. Catches of two dozen sturgeon per boat per day were common, with some true monsters landed. A lot of fish over five feet were boated and there were several that stretched the tape to nearly seven feet. Scott guides love big fish and the Frasier did not disappoint. This type of fishing can’t replace the excitement of sight casting to savage pike but it is just plain fun. And since it’s hands-free bottom fishing there was ample opportunity for beverage consumption. Suffice to say the crew had a great time. They are primed for a wonderful 2011 season.

New Chef in Town

One of the anglers at the event was our new Head Chef, Robert Rose. After a Canada-wide recruiting effort, lodge General Manager John Gariepy landed his trophy of the season—a Red Seal Certificate (the highest professional level in Canada) chef with a powerhouse resume. Rob, as he would rather be called, recently was a chef at one of Canada’s finest restaurants, the Church Restaurant and Belfry in Stratford, Ontario, a CAA four diamond rated establishment. He has also worked at Langdon Hall in Cambridge, Ontario, a five diamond restaurant listed at one of San Pellegrino’s Top 100 restaurants worldwide. With working history in the organic foods industry, Robert brings a lot to the Scott Lake Lodge table. He has a passion for local products and will add a distinctive Canadian flavour to his offerings. But with considerable experience with classic French cuisine he will probably slip in some continental delights now and then. We are delighted that Rob will head up the kitchen staff at Scott, making your next trip not only a world class fishing experience but a dining one as well.

Thanks to the Class of 2011

We are back! After a tough 2010 it looks like 2011 will be a 100% sold out season. Out of 360 available spots we have bookings for 354. We will sell out. If you want to grab one of those final tickets give Tom KIein a call or email ASAP. You can reach him at 406/539-5245 or tom@scottlakelodge.com We thank all of our customers for giving us the opportunity to provide a trip of a lifetime—again.