Scott Lake Lodge - Index

Scott Lake Lodge - report - Index

2007
A Very
Good Year
It was wonderful to have a “normal” year at Scott Lake Lodge.
Normal though has to be defined by the standards of the 60th
parallel where the only thing predictable is unpredictability. It’s
the continual unfolding of the unknown that makes a good year.
With delightful day to day surprises, 2007 turned out to be a
very good year. In recent seasons the elements have violated the
unpredictability norm: 2004 was all too predictably cold with ice
hanging until July 1st; 2005 featured huge winds almost daily;
2006 was a long, hot summer with very little wind that turned
Scott into a northern hothouse, not at all unpredictable. At
Scott we like the Mexican piñata approach: knock the year open
and get a little of everything. Since at Scott, and in the north
generally, weather and fishing quality are joined at the hip,
discussing the weather is just like detailing the fishing: warm
temperatures created ideal conditions and cold fronts give fish
lockjaw. In 2007 we really had the CD player set on random. In
no particular sequence, we had it all: spectacular warm weather,
vicious cold fronts, violent thunderstorms, serene flat water
days, heavy winds from all compass directions, some early snow
and absolutely no advance warning for any of it.
Predicting the weather is a fool’s game at Scott and we were
fortunate to have one at Scott this summer. Our intrepid
Beaver pilot, Collin Hunter, is a brave lad. He’s not only a great
pilot but a serious student of meteorology. He spent many hours
on various “official” government websites, some just for pilots,
trying to divine the next day’s weather. Being our top weather
predictor, he would dutifully stand up in front of the group during
each first-night orientation and offer the five day forecast.
He would even quote his sources using terms like isobars and all
the mysterious minutia of his craft. Well, the ONE time all season
that Collin nailed it we threw him a party and gave him an
Jim Klos with his 48" pike and guide Jason Terris.
By: Tom Klein
award. It’s not his fault. It’s simply impossible to predict the weather
at Scott. It’s the Bermuda Triangle of northern weather. We have a
theory: unlike most places, we are not on the receiving end when
it comes to weather; we create it here and export it. There are no
prevailing winds to bring us our weather. One of our guides has kept
track of wind directions for seven years and has determined that we
average three wind changes per day. It’s that inspiring predictable
unpredictability again. We just enjoy every day for what it brings
and try to stay loose in the saddle.
Despite the daily fluctuations there were some trends over the
season. Early in the season we had more cold than warm weather
and the pike stayed deep later than we would have liked. But the
trout were cruising the surface and providing good action. A solid
shot of heat in late June fired up the pike and for several weeks
all hell broke loose. Daily catches of 50 to a 100 pike were racked
up, the kind of numbers we usually see in early June right after ice
out. And big fish as well. The after dinner trophy announcements
were marathon events and by mid-July the guides’ hands looked
like the Thanksgiving turkey—after it was carved. As is generally
the case (a few things do repeat even on random), the biggest fish,
both trout and pike, were caught from mid-July until the end of
the season. The “cabbage patch” pike were really on this season
especially on the flyout lakes where that delicious green stuff is
abundant. Those willing to put in their time trolling big plugs or
spoons were rewarded with huge trout at the end of their lines.
Scott anglers watched their guides slide the cradle around lakers
of forty inches or more fifty times in 2007, a record for what we
call supersized trout. There were some trout this season the size
of small pigs, but lots prettier. With three 47 inch and three 48
inchers leading the pack there were lots of big pike as well. And
the grayling fishing was sensational all of July and August. The
grayling factories at Labyrinth, Lefty Falls and Ivanhoe were working
overtime all season, producing many beautiful, acrobatic fish.
The fall fishing started a bit early this season and it was great. The
lakers moved into shallow water by late August and “reefer madness”,
the pre-spawn movement to water one to three feet deep, was
hitting its stride by September 1st. It was just the luck of the draw
but our anglers during that first week of September hit the jackpot.
Both the big pike and the trout were on the move. Lots of huge
fish were taken, several 45" pike, a 46" and a 48" along with a half
dozen supersized trout, all the fish coming out of shallow water. It
was the perfection of fall fishing with spectacular northern lights to
boot. Then it snowed and the final group of the season spent more
time adding layers of clothing than landing fish. The season ended
with a whimper not a bang. The north is just that way. Savor every
moment because you never know what’s coming next.