Week 4 In Review: The Sun Kept Shining and the Fishing was Hot

Putting five full days of hot summer weather in the north, we’ve passed ten and are still rolling along with hardly a cloud and days well into the 80s. The fourth angling group at Scott were treated to the full experience of a perfect northern summer; it was hot, the animals were out in full force, and the fish were in a particularly angry mood. Happy hour stories of the topwater strikes, swims at shoreluch, adventures on a new flyout lake…the crowd was buzzing, and the fish just kept coming. No small portion of this was the exploratory forays by our guides and anglers into the new water of Snowbird Lake. Nearly 50 miles long, this inland ocean is 130 miles east of Scott, just about to the Nunavut border, the treeline cuts through the lake and offers incredible northern landscapes. So far the pike fishing has been stellar, we’ve yet to explore too much of the storied trout opportunities, but of note Letty Johnson found a 18.25” grayling living dangerously by hanging out in a back bay. Perhaps the first “lake grayling” we’ve run across in a lot of years fishing some of these waters, it will be interesting to see if this trend continues, or these pioneering grayling get chowed by the big pike and trout.

Our emcee, guide Mike “Nuggets” Demyen, nearly needed an intermission on some of the evening trophy announcements; you were filling the screen with incredible memories of big fish and wildlife.   The bar got raised again with 291 total trophy fish being landed by our angling cadre this week, edging out the previous record set just last week! Long time Scott Laker, Joe Novicki led the pike fishing charge with a 4-foot jumbo, caught with Jan up on Smalltree Lake.  One of our younger anglers Coyen Kristo, perennially at the top of the torphy charts nailed another 47” fatty, as did Curt Johnson on his first foray up to Scott and subsequently Snowbird Lake. The 46.5”ers came next with each James Kracum, Rod Porath, Andrew Godden, and Loki Johnson bringing these special fish to hand. Rory Wright also got in to a 46.5” pike on the fly during the final afternoon of the trip, this paired nicely with the 46”er his partner John Kroner landed earlier in the day, putting a cherry on top of a great ten day trip.  In total 29 pike over 45 inches were landed this past week, again a highwater mark for big pike success at Scott Lake Lodge. Both Scott itself and the flyout network are fishing incredibly well, pike are shallow, plentiful and hungry. There are many stories of burbot or whitefish tails sticking out as the guides carefully unhook these predators for a quick release. Although a pike shore lunch Scott Lake Style is tough to beat, each week our crew becomes more creative with the shore-side culinary program. It’s not one to miss!

The grayling rapids were hot this week. The Kracum crew, Rich, Matt, James and John spent a fun day on the Dubawnt River nailing these feisty, fast-water dwellers. Terry and Amy Jones waded through high water at another river to explore and catch a few ‘ling, while Bill Calabresa and Joe Novicki added the last few inches for entrance into the 100+ Club.

Otters, moose, bears, mink, countless birds, and a wolverine caught red-handed excavating a beaver house added to the excitement in the boats. The evenings were reserved for fine dining and Mario Kart. The Week 4 Mario Kart Tournament drew huge followings, with 3 nights of qualifying before the finals. When the dust settled, it was Matt Kracum and Graham Coulombe taking the bragging rights for 2026.  Everyone loves catching big fish, but year over year, the memories that are brought up are the time shared over a cigar on the deck, an animal sighting, and laughs with the group over a shared mishap or misadventure. Most come for the fishing, but come back for the people caught up by this 12-acre island on the 60^th parallel.

Want to learn more about how you can be a part of these memories? Email Jon, j5@scottlakelodge.com head guide and sales manager. He will get you set up for a trip up north