Week 19 in Review: This Is The End..Almost

Week 19 in Review: This Is The End..Almost

Week 19 in Review: This is the end…almost

Fall is Trout Time

It isn’t easy to sum up the feelings of the final week. The culmination of so much work, so many memories made and shared. It’s bittersweet; the end is in sight, but somehow you are never quite ready for it.  Especially so on the nineteenth and final week of the 2025 season. Fall in the north showed her true splendour, and the weather was perfect. It was hot and sunny during the days, cooling off for perfect bonfire weather in the evening. Geese flew overhead as the full moon and the northern lights lit up the night sky. There were fish stories galore, the trout were shallow, the pike were feeding ravenously, grayling pounded dries, and the annual whitefish run was on. Our final crew was wonderfully wild; the excitement that showed off the planes on the first day was the same as when we sent the last group south. It was a lot of fun…the fishing was on fire!

Big pike made up the bulk of the 188 trophy-sized fish that our anglers hauled in this week. These toothy predators are as fat as can be in the fall, each fish bulked up after a summer of feeding. The sun and light winds made for some great action on the rocks and weedbeds of Scott and the flyout network. Eleven super-sized pike over 45” were landed, including three 47” fish caught by Mike Rogers, John Heinmiller and Dave O’Donnell. This brings our record-setting season total up to 39 giant pike over 47”!  Dave and John both added a 46.5” pike to their fish tales this week, James McCain hit a new personal best at 46”, and Priscillia O’Donnell added a 46” also. Many of our anglers shared tales not just of pike over 40”, but those in the 36-39” range that came in droves this week. They fight hard and make for incredible fishing days. Each week, during the introductions, we encourage people to enjoy each fish…this week, they certainly did.

Fall is trout time, and this week did not disappoint.  As the lakers stage to spawn on well-oxygenated cobblestone reefs and points, they develop bright orange or yellow bellies and the leading edge of their fins turn a brilliant white colour, betraying their Char genetics. Lake Trout belong to the genus Salvelinus, sharing genes with Brook Trout and Arctic Char.  This was just the start to the spawning run, with the smaller males making up most of the catches, however, some big females were up shallow, testing the light tackle.  Sweetwater Mike Rogers waited until the last afternoon to land a 42” shallow trout, the fight sounded epic, and Mike led the way with 108” for his entry to the 100+ Club. Clay McCain found a 41”er, David Stetzler a 39.5 and Dan Spielman and Galen Faulconer both tallied 38” ers to round out the top trout action.

Grayling love sunny days in the fall. John and Julie Heinmiller found this out as a part of our last plane to Tukto, they both found 20” grayling in the rapids on the tundra lake. Bill Sandbrook, Joe Mayhew and Clay McCain all got into 19” fish on their days in the rapids. The dry fly action this time of year can be exceptional. Watching these northern fish clear the water to take flies never gets old. The same goes for northern lights and bonfires, we had both in fine numbers this week. The Last Cast happy hour was a full house each day with excited tales and fish and wildlife…bears, muskox, moose, otters and wolverines were all sighted and photographed. It was a fine week to end off a superb year. Thank you to the anglers who closed out the season with us, and thank you to each adventurous angler who visited us in 2025. It was a big year for Scott Lake Lodge; we can’t do this without you!  Though this is the end of our regular season, the work for 2026 starts today. Constant incremental improvements to our infrastructure, flyout network and the beginning of our procurement and hiring process are already in the works. We won’t rest until we meet our goal of the best lodge fishing experience in Canada.

Week 18 in Review: The Leaves Dropped and the Trout Came Up

Week 18 in Review: The Leaves Dropped and the Trout Came Up

Week 18 in Review: The Leaves Dropped and the Trout Came Up

Trout in the Shallows

We wait all summer for it…the moment the lake trout migrate out of their deep water haunts and stage on rocky reefs and points in preparation for their fall spawn.  This annual event is driven primarily by water temps, though photo period also plays an important role. At the start of the eighteenth week at Scott, our water temperatures were quite high for this time of year.  Some north winds and cold overnights changed things in a hurry. Our group of anglers were treated to almost all four seasons this week, sun, rain, wind and about 50 degrees of temperature variation.  Some good rain gear a few layers and folks stayed fishing. The good news…the fish didn’t mind one bit.  Pike, trout and grayling were are all fat, feisty and ready to chow down.

With 14 super-sized pike over 45” this week, the big girls were out and ready to play. Our biggest pike was a Wholdaia Lake giant caught by Patrick Hurst, at 48.5”, one of the biggest of the season! Brian Floen got into a 46.5”er, while Mike and Veronica Strobel netted a pair of 46’s. Kevin and Don Thorp found success in a couple of big fish a 46 and 45.5’er, while Adam Strobel and Adam Sturdivant both fought and landed 45s. What a pike week! The average fish is substantially heavier this time of year, after recovering from the rigours of the spring spawn and 4 months of chowing down on whitefish, burbot and even other pike.  Weeds and rocks were the locations of our fall pike this week, guides playing the wind to their advantage meant success for the anglers. Knowing the daily and seasonal movements of pike across over 2 million acres of water is a challenge; we are fortunate to have a guide team that can crack the code.

The trout were starting to get caught in the shallows, mostly the smaller males eager to get on with spawning activities.  There were a few big ones found up top, though, Liz Snyder got into a 39” blimp on that tested her light tackle. Valerie Stobel got into a last day 39” hog also. John Deitz led the way on trout with a 41.5”er out of Selwyn, while his fishing buddy Greg Glenn got into a tug of war with a 40”er the same day.  Trout were plentiful and starting to don their white fin edges and orange bellies that mark the fall spawning run when the trout in the shallows are plentiful. Grayling are always putting on their most brilliant colours. Fall is prime time for these river dwellers, eager to feed on dry flies this time of year. Those who got into the rapids were blessed with incredible action.  The Thorps, Don and Kevin, Liz Snyder, Ron Jurgens, Jim Kusar, and Abby Sheinian became our newest members of the 100+ Club in a record-setting year for new entrants!

The fire at the lodge was cooking around the clock, keeping the cold weather at bay, saunas, hot tubs and bonfires filled the apres-angling hours.  Anglers were patiently waiting each evening for a break in the clouds that would let the aurora shine through. On the last night, they were rewarded. The northern lights danced and morphed from white to green to pink and back again. A truly awe-inspiring sight: watching the northern lights from the deck of a cabin just shy of the 60th Parallel, it’s something many only see in pictures but these lucky anglers have their own memories, plus pictures.

Week 19 Recap: A Perfect Ending

Week 19 Recap: A Perfect Ending

“A PERFECT ENDING”

Another Fishing Season in the Books

One would think, after 90 consecutive days of managing, guiding, cooking, serving, cleaning and fixing, that the Scott Lake team would be tired, listless and ready to call it a close to the fishing season. Not the case. Maybe it’s like the horse who smells the barn and races back to its stall after a long ride: it knows the end is near and gives it his all. Whatever the inspiration, the Scott crew doubled down on their service commitment for the final group of the fishing season, or maybe they were just playing off the high energy of this fun-loving group (you know who you are) who brought to our island an incredible level of enthusiasm and excitement for the closing session of the season. They came to have fun and to catch fish, in that order. They accomplished both magnificently. It was a lively bunch who traveled from many hot spots in the lower 48 to enjoy the cool temperatures of the 60th parallel in September. They were energized. The sauna, hot tub, spa and our two bars (especially the bars) were jumping all week. This group had it all: great fishing, northern lights viewing, impressive wildlife sightings and interesting dining. There was a strong “let’s have a party tonight” vibe for the entire week, even when on Day 4 vicious winds shut down fishing for the day. Few ventured out that day in some very heavy waves. If they did, they didn’t go far. No trophy fish were landed that day (lowering the week’s trophy total significantly), but a black bear did make an appearance so at least one pin was handed out after dinner that night. (The lodge recognizes some wildlife encounters by awarding “trophy” pins for spotting black bear, moose or muskox.)

And there were plenty of actual fish pins handed out too. The week ended with 130 trophy fish landed, heavily leaning toward northern pike and Arctic grayling. While the lake trout did start their annual migration upwards toward the shallow reefs, they were late this year, probably due to the still warm surface water temperatures. Hundreds of smaller lakers were in the shallows but the big ones were still in deep water. Only four trophy lake trout were landed for the week, the biggest a 37.5” laker off Scott Lake taken by James Abell who landed big trophy fish in all three of our species, earning the 100+Club jacket. The big trout were generally still deep and with great pike fishing on Scott and the fly out lakes not too many guests spent time doing the deep trolling needed to bring them up. The pike fishing was just too good. Our northern pike were feeding heavily on windy, rocky shorelines and in the remaining weed beds. There were many hundreds of pike caught with 77 hitting the 40-inch or over trophy category, not our best week of the season but not shabby either. Tom Granneman, Francis Sun and Dan Spielman caught pike of 44-inches. Dan also got a 45-incher along with Jim Ward. The biggest pike of the week was on the line of James Abell, a beautiful 46-incher. There were many of pike in the 40- to 43-inch range with Collen Clark, Tom Granneman, Clay McCain, Mark Graf and Frances Sun enjoying days with three-trophy pike in the boat. Mark and Frances along with Dave O’Donnell also had four-trophy pike days. As with the previous group, there were frequent comments about the weight and girth of the pike that came to the boats. The typical 40-inchers in September probably weighed three pounds more than the same fish weighed earlier in the season. And it was common to hear about 100 or more pike in the boat for a single day; the pike were in the attack mode all week.

For those that ventured into our rivers, our grayling with their trademark high, iridescent dorsal fin were very cooperative. Grayling of our “supersized” mark of 18 inches or better were taken by Mark and Rebecca Graf, Dan Spielman and Frances Sun. James Abell and Randy Grooms had a big grayling day on the outflow of Odin Lake with their biggest were just under that 18-inch mark. Dry flies and sub-surface nymphs were the winning tickets for grayling action.

There were trophy dinners all week. The culinary team ended the season strong, featuring dinners like beef bourguignon, seafood risotto, lamb loin, smoked brisket and lobster with a tenderloin to name just a few of the offerings. Between the over-the-top group shore lunches and the lavish dinners, no one lost any weight on this trip. Many may have gained a few pounds, but all gained indelible memories of fishing at its best. We had an almost even split this week between long time regulars and first-time guests. Based on bookings and comments, we gained a lot of new regulars. It was simply a wonderful week to spend in the far north and a perfect ending to another fishing season our guests and staff will always remember as one of the best. Stay tuned for a season summary: it will have a big number for our total trophy count.

Week 18 Recap: Falling for Fall

Week 18 Recap: Falling for Fall

“FALLING FOR FALL”

Aggressive Fall Pike Fishing

There was no doubt. In earlier weeks we’ve had hints of fall but now it was for real: you could feel it in the cool morning air, the up tempo winds hitting your face; see it in the scuttling low clouds, the turning of the birch leaves from their drab green to brilliant yellow; hear it with the nighttime honking of migrating geese and the almost comical one-note call of migrating Pacific loons. And for our guests, more importantly, you could feel fall in the savage jolt of an aggressive northern pike trying to get an easy meal. Violent strikes were incredibly common for our Week 18 crew. The pike were on the prowl for the entire week. The action was steady for most anglers almost every day on Scott and on our two dozen flyout lakes. It could have been a windy shoreline, a patch of weeds or a deep drop-off. The pike seemed to be everywhere. And they were angry. These are “take no prisoners” pike that barely show a resemblance to the sometimes picky pike of early summer. The spinners, spoons, plastics or flies this week were often not visible when the fish were brought to the boatside. These pike were committed to their next meal as they put on weight in preparation for the long and relatively lean winter months. These are ferocious, feisty, fat fall pike—a fish you just have to love.

Typically, at this time of our season we get into the quantity vs. quality debate. The quality of fall pike fishing is undisputed. They are much heavier than they were a month or two previous. Often though, our trophy numbers taper off as we get near the end of the season while the size increases. This group had it all—QUANTITY AND QUALITY. The trophy count landed at 154, a respectable number even for June or July. Add the heft of this group’s catch and you have the ingredients of a sensational week. It was: there were fifteen pike of 44-inches or better, topped by a magnificent 47-incher.

We had 114 trophy pike and, as they often do, the big fish came in bunches. Ron Juergens, Seth Snyder, Paul Lorusso, Kevin Thorp and Liz Snyder landed a trio of trophy pike on the same day; Mike Strobel, Tom Davis, Brenda Gray, Paul Lorusso, Veronica Strobel and Seth Snyder (another big day) made it a four-pack; Valarie Strobel and Rebecca Graf each landed five trophy pike on their big days. Pike between 44-and 46-inches were as common as the yellow leaves on birch trees. Our guides term these monsters the “mids” as opposed to “regular” trophies between 40- and 43-inches or the “megas” between 47- and 50-inches. If you hook into one of these mids, you know that you have an impressive fish. In most Canadian settings they are pretty rare. Not at Scott Lake Lodge. Not during Week 18. Pike of 44” were caught by a slew of our anglers: Ron Wamsted, Seth Snyder, Jason Sikkenga, Dave McCarty, Mike Strobel (a pair of brutes) and Valarie Strobel (also a pair). Pike of 45” were taken by Seth Snyder (that name yet again), Don Thorp and Brenda Gray who landed two at 45, giving her an incredible trip. Mark Graf went to the top of the “mid” scale with a pike of 46-inches. But the fish-of-the-week belonged to Mike Strobel with a beautiful 47-incher. That is a big batch of QUALITY fish.

A week at Scott is not complete without someone landing a big lake trout or two or more. Our pike did not completely dominate the TV screens after dinner. There were some impressive lake trout as well. Mike Winegar pulled in a 39-incher; Don Thorp caught a fat 42-incher, along with a 38- and 40-incher. The Top Trout though went to Kevin Thorp who landed a 42.5-inch pig of a laker.

Grayling were in the game too. Only four anglers (Mark and Rebecca Graf and Kevin and Don Thorp) went after the acrobatic resident of the far north, but all cashed in on fish of 17-inches or better, big grayling in these parts. Those grayling catches gave a Trophy Triple hat to Mark, Kevin and Don. Hitting over 100 total inches, Kevin and Don also earned the 100+Club jacket.

As we’ve come to expect, there were numerous wildlife sightings. Fall is a time when all critters, both in the lakes or on the land, become active. The only missing entrée in the exciting fall smorgasbord were the northern lights. They were probably up there but we had five consecutive cloudy nights. But no one complained about not staying up late to watch the celestial show; everyone was tired from catching too many big fish! Simply put: it was a hell of a week, one that all our anglers will remember for the rest of their lives.

Week 17 Recap: A Fishing Vacation

Week 17 Recap: A Fishing Vacation

“A FISHING VACATION”

A good time on a fishing trip isn’t measured exclusively by a tape measure. That was the working philosophy of our Week 17 anglers. If we use the FHBA (Fun Had By All) measurement, this week was at the top of the list for the year. People had a great time. Over the years we have observed that our guests in August tend to be a bit less fanatic (or is that fInatic?) than those earlier in the season. They like to think of their trips as a fishing vacation not quests to capture their personal best. This group definitely fell into that category. There were many late morning starts and early returns throughout the week and even some “I think I’ll stay on this beautiful island” days. The group was motivated to have a good time not set a lodge trophy record. The pressure was off, and the good times just rolled along.

Life on the island was simply wonderful this week. We had three glorious evenings of spectacular northern lights, one with guests sitting around the bonfire by the main lodge. Unlike earlier in the year, no one had to stay up until the wee hours to experience this northern delight. Some of the best displays were visible by 10:00 in the evening. We had magnificent dinners every night. We had exciting wildlife encounters, including a day where guests saw all three of our large wildlife critters—moose, black bear and muskoxen. We had an incredible amount of fun watching the exploits of our group on the TV screens after dinner; the hoots and hollers as people celebrated their catches were probably the best of the season. We had the first glimpses of fall color as the birch leaves started to turn yellow and the ground cover to reds. We heard the loons in the evening along with the first groups of migrating geese. We had some sunny days and some cloudy or windy days (this is fall up here), but conditions were always OK to fish. Most importantly we had a lot of laughs all week. And we had a lot of bent rods, but the trophy count for the week was the lowest of the season at 72, one of only two weeks where that number didn’t have three digits. Go back to the opening line: it’s not always the length of the fish but the enjoyment of the experience. Big fish decide when they want to eat not the angler.

Plenty of big fish did decide to eat. Peggy Light had one of the best single days of the season on a fly out to Selwyn Lake. She landed ten trophy pike with the top three at 44.5”, 45.5” and 46”. Peggy has had a lot of trips to Scott but never had experienced a day like that one. She landed many more near-trophy size and dozens of heavy mid-30” pike. She was busy cranking in big fish all day. The fish of late August are not the pike of early June; they are clearly different looking and different at the end of the line. They are putting on the feedbag for winter. While they are more spread out in deeper structure (weed beds and drop-offs along rocky shorelines), they are more aggressive than the pike earlier in the season. And they are so much heavier. The girths of late August and September fish are about 30% greater than the same fish from June. They are fat, ferocious and quite feisty. When they turned on, they really turned on. Nancy Mahaffee had a three-trophy day and a four-trophy day. Included in her haul were a pair of 46-inchers. Her husband, Joe, wasn’t exactly shut out. He also landed a 46 at Gardiner Lake on his final day on the water. Both Nancy and Joe got trophy lake trout and Arctic grayling and went home with the Trophy Triple hat. Three-trophy pike days were enjoyed by Joe Velas, Katherine Velas and Dave Russo. Two big pike came off Scott this week: Harry Readinger landed a 45-incher and Dana March got a 45.5-inch fat, fall pike. Two dandy lake trout were caught this week, a 38-incher by Dave Russo and a girthy 40-inch Scott Lake beauty taken by Jeff Seitzinger.

The fishing action was great all week on Scott and throughout the fly out system. There were many reports of 50-60-70 fish days. While down from our average, the number of big fish was enough to keep all our guests quite happy. When trophy-sized fish come too easily, they aren’t enjoyed as much. The big fish of Week 17 were cherished and celebrated. And no one left the island without a deep appreciation for the pristine wilderness they encountered in their five-day fishing vacation adventure. The northern lights and wildlife sightings were frosting on an already very tasty cake. The summary judgment for the week: WONDERFUL.

Week 16: Party Time

Week 16: Party Time

“PARTY TIME”

Let’s call it a Fishing Party

During some weeks at Scott Lake Lodge, the fishing is serious, very serious. For many of our adventures in the far north, the anglers are intense, a bit predatory, focusing every ounce of their energy on their quest to get the biggest fish of their lifetime. That’s understandable. Many have dreamed about their Canadian expedition for weeks, months or even years. They want to squeeze every possible experience out every minute, every fish. They are right at home at Scott Lake Lodge where we celebrate the angling culture. But then some weeks there is a wonderfully different vibe—the “let’s just have a good time feel”. That was the tone during Week 16. Ron and Betsy Spork invited a couple dozen of their family, friends and business associates for a private week of fishing, feasting and fun at Scott. It became a fishing party. There were leisurely dinners, lots of card games, challenging cornhole games, raucous cheering when a big fish appeared on the TV screen during the nightly “fish of the day” programs, and relaxing moments in front of an after-dinner bonfire. It was a more casual, relaxed week. Not that there weren’t plenty of big fish landed.

On the first day of the four-day trip an impressive total of 49 trophy fish were landed. Leading the pike parade was the Leader of the Pack, Ron Spork, who contributed five trophy pike with a 43- and 45-incher. (Betsy Spork added three more trophy pike to the boat’s total.) Patty Thompson was right behind Ron with four trophy pike including another 45-inch beauty. Lonnie Thompson and Trevor Rusnak added 44s to the proceedings. Jake James had a big day on Scott Lake with a trophy pike and two big trophy lake trout, one stretching the tape to 41-inches in length with a massive girth. On a flyout to Labyrinth Lake Jerry Kolek and Jim Ossner got into a mess of Arctic grayling and plenty of pike. At the far end of Wholdaia Lake, Patick Schatz and Matt Karras caught more grayling than they thought existed in all of Canada. Both landed 19-inchers in the fast waters of the Dubawnt River, no small accomplishment. Twenty of the group got trophy pins that evening after dinner. The good luck was well spread around on that memorable first day.

But weather is everything when fishing these parts. The big storm forecast for the second day did materialize. Even in the protected waters around our island, the wind and waves were just too much. Only a handful of guests went on the lake and none for very long. This was a day for the fish and the anglers to relax. It was a complete shutout for the anglers; no trophy pins were handed out that evening after a festive dinner of Smoked Salmon (or a Pork Schnitzel for those who loved the red cabbage side dish). But it wasn’t a lost day. The wood-fired sauna was cooking all day; the hot tub was busy as was the spa with a full day of massage. A few even ventured into the workout facility. Some days a fishing party need to rest. Everyone had a relaxing day, catching up, renewing friendships and grabbing a nap.

Fully rested and raring to go, Team Spork hit the water hard on Day 3 of their trip. They were ready. Just like the first day, our fish were eager to dance. It was another great day with 27 trophy pike, eight trophy lake trout and a bunch of grayling. Ron Sport again led the way with another 5-trophy pike day, topping out at a 44-incher. Brothers Bill and Rick Spork each landed three trophy pike as did Rick’s wife, Brenda. Patty Thompson bagged a trio of nice lake trout with a 39-inch beauty as her top trophy. Jerry Kolek caught a 38.5” laker that gave him the coveted Trophy Triple hat. With a 35.5” laker Jim Ossner also did the Hat Trick. The trophy pins distributed that night were nothing though compared to the meal our chefs prepared for the final dinner of the trip.

The last half-day of fishing featured another culinary delight. This time it was served on a broad Scott Lake beach with fifteen guides preparing the shore lunch to end all shore lunches, the classic fishing party meal. It was a sunny day with waves to keep the pike in a feeding mood. Plenty of northern pike were caught that morning to provide the basic ingredient for a classic Canadian shore lunch. There were pike wraps, stir-fried pike, baked pike, “slobster pike” (pike tidbits slowly cooked in a lot of butter and garlic—deadly good), and fried pike with a variety of secret sauces. Put some corn and beans on the plates just for the color. Then add a big bowl of the Canadian cultural icon —Poutine, the unbelievably good mix of French fries with cheese and gravy. Top it all off with an over-the-fire apple crisp for desert and you have the elements of a meal no one will forget for some time.

The entire week was over-the-top fun and warm companionship. It was the kind of week that Scott Lake Lodge specializes in—making everyone feel like this place was built just for them. And everyone would be right.