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 60^th Parallel, it’s something many only see in pictures but these lucky anglers have their own memories, plus pictures.