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Sun, Fun and Lots of Fish – Week 14 Update

by Jason | Aug 21, 2022 | 2022 Fishing Season, Arctic Grayling, Lake Trout, Northern Pike, Website Fishing Blog

WEEK 14 UPDATE

SUN, FUN AND FISH (LOTS OF FISH)

Some weeks at Scott Lake Lodge it just all comes together. In this space we attempt to celebrate the time our guests spend at the lodge, but we also try to tell it straight. The straight dope: it’s been the absolute worst weather year here in our 27 seasons. Lots of rain, clouds, and cool or cold north winds. Then finally in mid-August the sun comes out for five straight days (just a few storm cells—one big one—mixed in) and the Scott Lake world becomes a fishing paradise. So, lots of sun with several totally cloudless days mixed with lots of fun. Jamie and Kevin Hassett witnessed three wolverines swimming across a lake and saw a herd of muskox. Yes, that’s fun and rare. There were many guests enjoying the hot tub, sauna, a bonfire, northern lights viewing, cornhole tournaments (heavy action from the Bill Rau group), a scenic trip to spectacular Lefty Falls by the Warner group and traditions continued by many including Joel Tune and Dick Emens who have fished together at Scott for nearly two decades. We had father/sons and father/daughters and tight family groups. It was the right group at the right time: the week we had been waiting for, the lots of fish week!

Record Breaking Number of Trophy Fish

And fish? Yes, lots of fish. There was a record season total of 166 trophies landed, nicely mixed between pike, arctic grayling and lake trout. And many whoppers—fish of angler’s dreams. Six anglers entered the 100+Club, another season record: Dick Emens, Joel Tune, Bill Rau, Kevin and Jamie Hassett and Cooper Allen. Cooper’s dad, Graham, didn’t quite make the club but did get the Trophy Triple hat and he could not have been happier about that outcome. So many big fish!

Lots of Big Pike

First all the pike. Marcia Hunt whose last trip was twenty years ago got a pair of 44” pike while dad, Don Hunt, landed a 45. Richard Emens had an incredible pike trip with three 44s and three 45s. Tim Fierbaugh, Johnny Powers, Joel Tune and John Bennett all pulled 44s to the guide’s waiting net. Jamie Hasset, Bill Rau got 45s and Dave Anderson got a pair of 45s, our pike supersized standard—one was an absolute pig of a pike. Tim Fierbaugh had the top pike of the week at 46 inches.

Lots of Big Lake Trout

Then the big trout bonanza—the best crop of the season. A lake trout is one of the strongest freshwater fish. A 40” lake trout is a freight train. We had plenty of those this week. Bill Rau, Jamie Hassett and Kevin Hassett brought in 40s. Kevin added a 42. Chris Fierbaugh got a 41.5” and Tim Fierbaugh got a 41 and a 42.5-inch laker. On the last day Cooper Allen scored a fat 43, but the biggest trout of the week was Joel Tune’s 43.5” monster from Smalltree Lake which is a new lake record there.

Lots of Big Arctic Grayling

Fishing buddies Joe Tune and Dick Emens really got into the big grayling. Joel got 18 and two 19.5-inch beauties. Dick used his fly rod to get our first 20-incher of the season and added an 18 and three 19s.
When the sun hits the water of Scott Lake and our 24 flyout destinations wonderful things happen to the fish and the anglers. It was just a great week. Thanks to all our guests who enjoyed the sun, fun and fish.

The First of Many – Week 13 Update

by Jason | Aug 15, 2022 | 2022 Fishing Season, Arctic Grayling, Lake Trout, Northern Pike, Website Fishing Blog

WEEK 13 UPDATE

REMEMBER WHEN (Fishing Memories)

Most anglers remember, even if it’s vaguely, their first fish or their first fishing trip. For nearly all that first fish would have been a six-inch bluegill, crappie or maybe a twelve-inch black bass. Lachlan Williamson has a different story. The fourteen-year-old had his first fishing trip with his dad, granddad, and other family members. So far that’s typical. What’s not typical is on your first ever day of fishing catching, not one, but five northern pike over 40 inches long, the biggest at 43”. The first came on his second or third cast of his first day of fishing…ever! Just where do you go from there? Well, you might add two days later three more trophy pike with a fat 45 at the top of the list. The next day you get a 37” trout and on your final day of your first fishing trip you fly to a pristine river that a handful of anglers have ever seen and get a bunch of big grayling. The biggest is eighteen inches long and put you in the Scott Lake Lodge 100+Club, something usually reserved for older, more experienced anglers. But that’s exactly what Lachlan did. Where do you fish after an experience like that? Back next year to Scott Lake Lodge of course. On the other end of the experience spectrum, Gus Ruetenik, our eldest angler, at 98 years has caught and released many trophy pike at Scott Lake, his last day 43″ being the latest.

Hundreds of Fishing Memories

Lachlan wasn’t alone in making memories. His dad, Bill Williamson, also entered the 100+Club, catching a 46” pike and a 41” lake trout on his way to the Club. Karen Flynn got her Trophy Triple hat with a monster 41” trout as part of her catch of all three Scott Lake Lodge trophies. The group had as most groups have some sunny days and some cloudy days, but the fish were there with just over 100 trophies bagged. Big fish were all over the board: 45” pike were taken by Ketta Robertson, Matt Thomas, Jason Loughran; 46s by Bill Williamson, Jim Williamson, Leland Williamson and Eli Coleman; 47.5” pike by Leland Williamson (same day as his 46) and Jim Flynn who had two other trophies on that memorable day. Like the previous week we’re seeing a lot of big pike and lake trout. It’s been the pattern here for decades: early season has huge numbers of fish, but the late season produces the huge fish.

Another pattern is clear. People have fun at Scott Lake Lodge. This week had some fascinating highlights (yes a pun). The northern lights showed up and on an entrancing final evening most of our guests sat around a big bonfire by the main lodge and watched the supermoon rise while northern lights danced. That’s the way to close a wonderful fishing trip. All part of August at Scott Lake Lodge.

Welcome to Fall Fishing…Scott Lake Style – Week 12 in Review

by Jason | Aug 10, 2022 | 2022 Fishing Season, Uncategorized, Website Fishing Blog

WEEK 12 UPDATE

WELCOME TO FALL FISHING, SCOTT LAKE STYLE

It happened suddenly on the fourth day of this group. Fall fishing arrived. It’s not the fall on the calendar which is still a long way off, but it was the first feeling of fall. Maybe it was the slant of the light, just a little lower. Maybe the cool slap in the face of the morning air or just the crisp edge even a sunny day. Or was it the terns? Just a couple of hundred yards north of our island on the 60th parallel there is an exposed reef where a colony of terns has nested for as long as anyone can remember, probably hundreds of years. The come, about 60 strong, every year, arriving right after ice out. On Day 4 of Week 12 they made the big decision: they were heading south. On Day 3 there they were, noisy and agitated always, flying around any boat that gets too close, adding a little excitement to the day. On Day 4 the reef was empty; they were gone, not a feather to be seen on the rocks. First day of fall, for sure. One more signpost for fall—the first northern lights viewing of the season. While the lights were a bit ephemeral, they were still impressive, a preview of the more sustained and dramatic shows ahead.

Early Fall Fishing

So, how’s early fall fishing? Pretty damn good! Our early August anglers hit it hard, on cool, cloudy, sunny days. It didn’t matter: they fished and fished hard, pitching their offerings eight or nine hours a day. And many of those offerings were well received. The trophy count was right in line with the last several weeks—120 with a nice mix of pike, lake trout and grayling. That number included some dandies. The lake trout were in the spotlight again. Everyone gets excited about big trout—they are the ultimate freshwater predator. Whatever prey they want, they get. Some were fooled by shinny imitators. Bret Walker convinced a huge 43.5” laker that his spoon was really a whitefish. It was our biggest of the week but not by much. Nick Degaetani was right behind with a fat 43. Jim Tallman got a 40 as did Doug Abraham who added a 39 to his troutfest. Priscilla O’Donnell just missed the supersized mark with a 39.5” laker.

Northern Pike Fishing

Most anglers at Scott Lake Lodge are here for the northern pike fishing and it did not disappoint. There is an adrenaline rush when a hefty pike smashes into your fly or lure at lightning speeds that just can’t be matched. Pike don’t have the stamina of lake trout, but they know how to put on a show. Like with the lake trout top spot, it was Bret Walker who pulled the longest tape with pike, a 46.5” dandy. The pike parade was a long one. Dave O’Donnell landed a 46 along with a 45. The father/son team of Jim and Nick Tallman had quite a day, landing clones—a pair of pike each exactly 45.5 inches. And Jim got another 45.5” pike a couple of days later. Must be his favorite number now. A number of guests hit the 44- inch mark: Dave Wanderer, Randy Northcutt, Kathy Scott, Todd Kalish, Ryan Robbins and Chris Budeski. For fishing lodges to the south of Scott a week like this one would represent an entire season of big pike. Just another week here.

Grayling Trophies

Some big arctic grayling trophies were in play too. Jeff Towers and Ryan Rich almost got 20-inchers, a rarely seen number here. But they were quite happy with their 19.5” beauties. Nick Degaetani and Ryan Robbins pulled 19s out of the rapids and Nick Tallman supersized at 18”. You know what’s next. With all those big graylings, there had to be some hats and jackets earned. Indeed. We had plenty this week. The Trophy Triple hat was placed on the heads of Nick Tallman, Priscilla O’Donnell, Amy Towers, Jim Tallman and Nick Degaetani with the final three in this list upgrading to the 100+Club jacket. Nick had a big number at 106 total inches, putting him in third place for the season behind Kim Brown’s 106 and Mark Graf’s hard-to-beat 108.5”. But Nick did something no one else has done here: he got the QUAD, adding a lake whitefish, a 15-incher, to his trophy total. Whitefish are a wonderful gamefish but quite elusive. The QUAD has been done only a few times.
So early fall sounds pretty good. Add the typical great customer service, the solitude that guaranteed on our lakes, the elegant dinners and a moose and muskox sighting or two and you have a perfect week in the far north. See you next year.

The Guides Begin to Crack the Case of the Missing Trout: Week 10 Update

by Jason | Aug 1, 2022 | 2022 Fishing Season, Lake Trout, Northern Pike, Website Fishing Blog

GROUNDHOG’S DAY, AGAIN?

Trophy Pike and Trophy Trout

For the last three groups it’s been like the Groundhog’s Day film. With just a few name changes, the highlights of the past fifteen days have been close to carbon copies. Like the previous two groups, our Week 10 anglers had to endure some low-pressure systems, cancelled fly outs and a distinct absence of sunshine. Like the previous weeks, they also had some great fishing when things lined up. Again, there was just enough warm weather to turn the fishing on when things started to slow down. Just enough to give this group a season’s high total of 158 trophy fish, just over the totals of the prior two groups. The story again was pike and more pike.

Trophy Trout

The surprising storyline of this season has been the phenomena of our MIA lake trout. Typically, this is the heart of our lake trout “season”. Yet over the past three groups we have tallied only sixteen trophy lake trout, just a good single day for some year’s late July tallies. But of the seven trophy trout we got this week three were monsters. On her way to the 100+Club jacket, Julia Percell landed a fat 40 incher; Bob Masters landed a 42 and Eric Hall had the top trout of the week at 43 inches. Why the shortage of lakers? Well, anglers have theories about almost everything—solar/lunar tables, wind direction, water temperatures, how you hold your tongue in your mouth and, of course, bananas in the boat. For this season we’ll go with the highly erratic weather. These poor trout are totally confused about what depth they should be swimming in. By now they should all be in water at least 70 feet deep, but we have been catching trout on windy shorelines and even in shallow pike bays. The cold temperatures throughout this “summer” have allowed this undisciplined trout behavior. It’s the old “everywhere and nowhere”problem. We’ll give them one more week to figure out where they should be.

Trophy Pike

But the pike were exactly where they should be at this time of year—in the weeds, any weeds. Our guides slid their big nets under an impressive number of trophy pike, a 142 to be exact, a record high for this season. Big pike often come in bunches and that was certainly the case this week. When they were on, they were really on. Bob Tiegs and Art Wittern experienced that when they teamed up for five trophies in a single day as did Rebecca and Mark Graf; Ron Helm and Kevin Worthington landed a six-pack of big pike and Paula and Todd Lee had a crazy pike day, landing seven trophies with the top three at 45, 46 and 47 inches. That’s a day to remember. Kevin Denney also landed a 47. Pike at 44” were caught by several anglers: Ron Helm, Bob Tiegs, Art Wittern and Dick McCullough. There were nine trophy grayling including 18 inchers by Julie and Thomas Purcell. It was just enough big grayling to get Julia and Thomas their Trophy Triple hat along with Ava Hall and John Bruntz.
Mark Graf upped his 100+Club total to 108.5”, a big number that may be hard to beat this summer. But who knows? Mark has one more trip scheduled yet this year.

So, there is nothing wrong with carbon copies if the original is great. Lets just do it again for Week 11, but with a little more sunshine.

Glimpses of Summer and Big Fish: The Week 9 Wrap up

by Jason | Jul 24, 2022 | 2022 Fishing Season, Lake Trout, Northern Pike, Website Fishing Blog

WEEK 9 UPDATE

DAY AT A TIME

This has been an interesting summer. We are getting it just one day at a time. We just can’t seem to get two warm, sunny days in a row. The pike have been a bit confused; they love warm water and a steady barometer. We’ve had a lot of cool north winds and wild swings in the barometer. But on the good days, things are very good. The big fish, the pike, trout and grayling are out there, just waiting for those perfect days and we’re getting just enough. Just enough was the Week 9 story: some great weather days, some not so great. But the great days trumped the not-so-great and the big fish totals looked wonderful—the second highest trophy count of the season at 141 trophies, just slightly behind the previous week. With the lake trout and grayling seasons moving to their peak, Week 9 offered a nice mix of trophies: 101 pike, eight lake trout and 32 arctic grayling.

Big Fish: Trophy Pike and Lake Trout

Among those 101 pike were four very nice ones. Bob Noble and Suzanne Noble, Mike Thornbrugh and Jeremy Stanford all landed 45 inchers, a length we designate as “super-sized”. But the big fish of the week was certainly the massive 45.5” lake trout that Mark Graf pulled in (after a lot of pulling on the other end). This was a team effort fish. It followed Rebecca’s (Mark’s wife) spoon right to the back of the boat, something an alert guide noticed. He quickly had Mark drop his spoon down to 25 feet, using the dropping, fluttering spoon as the dying whitefish trick. It worked. The big trout clobbered the Half Wave, and the battle was on. It took some time but Mark won. It was Mark’s second huge trout—the first he nicknamed Tubby, a fish that gave him the cover of the Scott Lake Lodge Annual Report. That one was a half-inch longer but no more exciting. Cindy Bixler also got into the big trout game with a 41- inch fish that also could have been nicknamed Tubby. Mike Sumeracki landed a 39 incher. Big grayling were in abundance . Chad Stanford had a 19.25” beauty along with a 19; Gratz Peters got a 19 and Brooks Stanford pulled an 18” miniature sailfish out of the rapids.

Big Fish: Triple Trophy Hats

With all those trout and grayling trophies there must have been some Triple Trophy hats presented during the evening awards presentations and indeed there were. Mark and Rebecca Graf got their hats along with Mike Sumeracki and Chad Stanford. Mark Graf on the back on that giant trout earned entry into the 100+Club. He has 106.5 total trophy inches and he still has five days of fishing to push up that number. With “only” a 43” pike to date he has a good chance of hitting a number we haven’t seen in years. Good luck to Mark.

Big Fish Plus Luxury

Of course all the other elements of a wonderful fishing vacation were checked off: festive shore lunches, splendid dinners in the lodge, high energy camaraderie, relaxing soaks in the hot tub and contemplative moments sitting on the big deck listening to the evening loon concert. It was a good week to be in the far north.

Northern Fish Tales: The Week 8 Fishing Report

by Jason | Jul 21, 2022 | 2022 Fishing Season, Lake Trout, Northern Pike, Website Fishing Blog

WEEK 8 BLOG POST

NORTHERN FISH STORIES—TRUE ONES

Show and Tell

How about a fish story? Imagine that you just turned nine years old. Now imagine that you are on a cool fishing trip way, way up north with your mom and granddad. You get in a big noisy airplane with floats under it and fly to an even more distant lake. You’re in a boat on a sunny day and you happen to look over the side and see a monster fish. Without really thinking you cast a big fat piece of plastic called a Sluggo in front of it. The fish quickly turns its head, streaks toward the lure, and engulfs it. All in a flash. You hang on for dear life. With some coaching from the guide and mom (but no help) you eventually bring it to the side of the boat where the guide slides a net under the huge fish. It’s over. You have just caught a 48” pike (a fish of a lifetime for any angler) and you are only four inches longer than the fish. That’s quite a fish story but for Cole Booth it’s a true one. He has pictures to prove it. By the way, mom, Jessica Word-Booth, landed a 46 incher the same day and Cole also landed pike of 42, 43 and 44 inches on that once-in-a-lifetime day. Now that’s a story for Show and Tell this September.

100+ Trophy Pike

Every guest during this amazing week had a fish story or two. Now Peter Myhre is a bit old for Show and Tell but he would have quite a tale to spin. In these five days of July Peter landed 31 trophy pike. Over his three group stay Peter did something no one else at Scott Lake Lodge (or maybe anyone at any Canadian lodge has ever done): he brought to the boat 106 pike over 40”. No that’s not a misprint. Over 100. In that incredible number were nine pike of 45”, five of 46” and two of 47”. Those are lifetime totals for most veteran pike anglers and Peter did it in just fourteen days.

Personal Bests

All our guests caught a bunch of fish, and many caught their fish of a lifetime this week. Scott Bixby had a great fishing trip already with a 44 under his belt, but on the last day he landed a very girthy 47 incher. The 45” mark was hit by several guests: David Wallace, Bob Smith, Tom Matthew, and Reece Rhys. On his first day off since he landed by chopper on the island with the early work crew in late May, Dawson Sawchuck had a chance to do more than maintenance work. He got to spend a full day fishing and he took full advantage of it, landing his personal best pike of 46”. There was a great trout story too. On a rainy cool day trout fishing seemed to be the best ticket for Bob Smith. He got a very fat 40” laker not far from the lodge. Along with his big pike and a 19.5” arctic grayling that trout gave Bob a Triple Trophy hat and the coveted 100+Club jacket with an impressive total of 104.5 inches. A pair of 18” grayling were taken by Mark Graf as well. The best time for big grayling is still ahead as the rivers start to lower and the aquatic insects start hatching. Watch for more grayling news in future reports.

Thunder plus Heart Pounding Action

For a week that started with a violent thunderstorm that delayed our guest’s arrival by three hours, the week turned out pretty darn good. It was our highest trophy total of the season at 146, mostly big pike. Lots of fish stories will be told and retold by people lucky enough to visit this far northern wilderness. And these stories are all true.