Week 19 in Review: And That’s a Wrap!

It’s always bittersweet seeing the last plane load of happy anglers pull off the dock in September. After 100 days of full right to the max with fishing, float planes and lodge operations, you almost don’t know what to do or how to react… well, a celebratory cocktail seems like a solid start. Our staff worked incredibly hard to pull off a superb season in 2026; the mountain of details it requires to make this place run and provide a literal factory for lifelong memories is astounding.  The goal each day is the seamless integration of an airline, a hotel, a restaurant and an outfitting business…day in and day out, the team delivers. So did the fish this year! It was a record-setting season at Scott Lake for the number of big fish we saw hit the nets. Nearly 4000…if we can fish days 3 and 4 this week, we may have hit that number. However, next year is always possible, and it’s a lofty goal to reach!

In the final week, our anglers and guides didn’t rest on their laurels; 152 trophy fish came to the boats in just 3.5 days of fishing. Some fall weather kept things interesting and let naps, sauna, and massage treatments take priority when the north winds howled across Scott Lake.  The big pike came on early, with John Heinmiller and Sonya Boone joining the 4-Foot Club with a pair of 48s on the second day of fishing. Priscilla O’Donnell landed a 47” fall pike that was as full of whitefish and cisco as can be. Bill Clawater leaned into a 46 pike on a flyout lake with Paul, while Dave “Enzo” O’Donnell was lucky on a 45 and a half in northern of his own.  Supersized 45s were on the docket for Jay Blincoe, Bailey Fender and Jim McCain. This brings the season’s total of Northern Pike over 47” to 70 fish, a stunning number of giants, while the fish over 45” tallied exactly 300. Incredible fishing by any metric; the big pike were on, the guides knew where to find them, and the guests cast and set the hooks…it all worked out well!

The Trout finally came shallow; just a few smaller males had been making their way up onto the reefs to start. This week, however, the shallows came alive with the orange and yellows of lake trout in their spawning regalia. It’s fins and tails time on the reefs to close out the season.  Top trout of the week went to Galen Falconer and John Heinmiller, both of whom went toe-to-toe with 41” ers and won the battle.  Clay McCain and guide Graham had a tight measuring tape on a 39.25” laker from Selwyn. 38s were on tap for Sonya Boone, both David and Terry Stelzer and Frances Sun. Those big trout that were playing hide-and-seek all summer were finally making themselves known.

Fall is always the time for grayling, and many took advantage of the leaping river-dweller, whose spots and vermiculation show up in the autumn sunlight, giving incredible colours. Dan Speilman and guide Jan focused on the big whitefish that run up the Northwest River of Scott in the fall. They are taken on nymphs and put up an incredible battle on a 4wt rod. Switch to streamers and the trout on chowing flies, back to nymphs, more whitefish…it’s an incredible time of year.  The geese flew south in front of the cold front that was screaming off the barrnelands, loons rafted, and we saw the best northern light show of the season on the first night of this final group. Clouds kept things hidden for the rest of the time. As the fall shutdown and construction crew is hard at work, things still feel busy and bustling. It won’t be long until the only noise heard on this 12-acre island is a whiskey jack or a prowling marten. It needs a rest to get ready for 2027.

Check out the link to our Orvis Endorsed page. We’d love to be considered for the Orvis Fly Fishing Lodge of the Year; your reviews can help us achieve that lofty goal!

https://www.orvis.com/product/scott-lake-lodge/3GSF.html

Week 18 in Review: The Beginning of the End

It all happens in about 100 days: the main part of our annual cycle here at Scott Lake Lodge, when the full suite of guests and staff inhabit this 12-acre island on the 60^th parallel.  We are nearing the end of this period; the fishing is still great, with trout moving shallow onto the reefs this past week, big pike snapping with considerable vigour and grayling coming full length out of the water after dries. It’s a magical time of year. The birch leaves are starting to change in earnest, the waterfowl migration in full swing with speckle bellies, snows and Canadas all honking away to the grainfields of the central flyway.  Every morning we wake up to a new carpet of yellow leaves on the cabin decks: it’s fall, and it’s awesome.

On the water, it was a stellar week; big pike were one fire. Of the 167 total trophies our anglers caught, 140 were pike over the 40” mark. The fish are as fat as they can be; the 30-38” fish are biting hard and fighting with abandon in the cooler waters.  It was a big week for the Strobel family; Veronica set the bar on the first day with a 4-foot giant over on Selwyn Lake, Adam was lucky on the first day also with a 47” fish..that’s a day worth an apres fish celebration. Continuing on the Strobel slay week, Valerie nailed a 46.5” northern and dad Mike waited unitl the end of the trip to hang a 47, that may be on of the heaviest fish we’ve seen in a long time. A trip of big fish stories to retell for a lifetime!  Craig Mataczyski set the hook into the second-largest pike of the week with a 47.5” jumbo, while son Allen was lucky with a 45.5” er. A couple more 46.5s were in the cards for Craig Hackworth and Brandon Scweers, on his first trip to Scott. Once the dust settled on the week, 17 supersized fish over 45” were caught, released and made famous in a photo for our lucky angling group.

The trout were starting to show up on the shallow reefs and points, making for incredible action. The larger females are still holding on the edges, but good numbers of small to medium-sized trout were chasing spinners and flies, often coming to the boat in a wolf pack, with fish trying to steal the meal of the one actually hooked. Perennial top trout couple Ed and Liz Snyder were on their game again this year, Liz lead the way with a 40 and a half inch hog trout while Ed added a tight tape 39 and a quarter. Those big trout were the springboard to them both joining the 100+ Club! Then a couple of 38- and 37.5-inch trout fell to the lucky pair. Tim Maclean added a pair of 37s, and Elain Ahlberg a 36 and a 36-and-a-half-inch trout. We are looking forward to this next week to see if there are a few more big trout haunting the shallows!

The bittersweet time of the year is coming. While staff start thinking about home, family, and offseason plans, the guides start saying goodbye to spots on the lake. Plans are already in motion for 2027; the flights are booked, construction material staged… There is lots to do. One more week to cap off an amazing season with a great crew; we are ready.

Check out the link to our Orvis Endorsed page. We’d love to be considered for the Orvis Fly Fishing Lodge of the Year; your reviews can help us achieve that lofty goal!

https://www.orvis.com/product/scott-lake-lodge/3GSF.html