Very soon some lucky anglers are going to feel. the boat slow as they roll into a shallow bay on Scott Lake or one of its many flyouts. The wake fades and your guide starts pointing out submerged logs that he assures you are big northern pike. A fly is chosen, tied onto a titanium bite leader and a cast is made. Strip, strip, strip, pause, BOOM. The log comes to life and in a flash, your fly is gone in a puff of silt and huge boil. The fight is one and your line on the casting deck is taken in a hurry.
Whether fly fishing for pike is a lifelong addiction like many of our guests or you are picking up a fly rod for the first time. Scott Lake Lodge is a great place to do it. Lots of opportunities, our guide staff are great teachers and the chance to hook into something truly special.
Sight fishing for giant northern pike on the fly. It doesn’t get any better.
A great Spring Pike Fishing tip video from Philip Rowley’s visit to Scott Lake Lodge.
Whether the bay is south facing, wind direction, bottom colour and other attributes all dictate a bay’s prevailing water temperature in spring. Find the right temp, find big fish willing to chase flies. While all shallow bays will hold fish at some point in the early part of the season, understanding these nuances and fish movement is what makes the guide team at Scott Lake the pros they are.
Watch this great clip to get you pumped up about fly fishing for giant lake trout at Scott Lake Lodge. Seeing a 40″ torpedo chase and eat your fly in 2′ of water will be a memory that lasts a lifetime. Then the fight starts!
How to catch lake trout shallow:
We have our best success targeting the windward side of spawning reefs in the pre-spawn time. Whistlers and Clouser minnows on an 8-10 wt rod and intermediate sink line. Often getting your fly down to 3-5′ quickly allows for a FAST sporadic retrieve…just the kind that triggers lake trout. Cast, fast strips and watch your fly for follows. Don’t ever stop stripping, the trout will quickly lose interest. Often tucking the rod under your arm and stripping with two hands can make chasers into biters. No make sure you are not standing on your line! The fight is incredible.
With deep regret, knowing we tried our best to make a truncated season happen…we have to make the decision to cancel 2021 in its entirety. Travel issues, border doubt, short timelines and the lack of confirmed guests just made the risks too great to bear.
Owner Tom Klein, gives a brief update about 2021 and how we’ve switched gears to focus on 2022. We have the place almost entirely full. If we are interested in a spot for 2022 now is the time to act! Contact j5@scottlakelodge.com to get one of the few remaining spots.
Imagine yourself in the middle of a pristine wilderness lake on the 60th parallel in northern Saskatchewan or the Northwest Territories.Your guide takes you to his favourite spot, a rocky ledge dropping off into a sandy basin…a favourite spot for summer lake trout to hang out waiting to slurp up Burbot, whitefish or Ciscoes in the cold depths. The guides fish finder has mapped this spot out and tells him when it’s time to drop down. With closely controlled depth and speed you probe the tradition between the rock and sand. All of the sudden the rod doubles over….snagged! Dammit…wait it’s moving! This is the experience fishing for trophy lake trout at Scott Lake Lodge.
Giant Lake Trout at Scott Lake Lodge
Lakers in our part of the world grow to trophy size slowly. a half pound or half inch a year in the cold water and short growing season. That 40″ trout could have been an egg on a rocky Scott Lake reef during World War II. These beasts demand respect in how they are handled. Big nets, bump boards, a quick photo and back down they go. The heads and face of big trout have character, it looks like they’ve seen a lot in their lives.
Each season brings a unique time to fish trophy lake trout at Scott Lake Lodge. Spring finds lakers shallow cruising sand, as water temperatures warm into summer they start dropping down into the depths 70 to 120 feet of water. Later August sees trout start a step stair climb shallower, everyday up closer to fall spawning reefs. This is one of the most exciting periods of the year, trout are in a few feet of water…alot of them and can be targeted with fly rods and lighter spinning gear. What a way to close out the season !
Check out the video below by our friends at Rawfish Creative that captures the essence of the hunt for this ancient giants.
To learn more about lake trout fishing at Scott Lake Lodge visit us here. All about Lake Trout
