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The Operation
Scott Lake Lodge is quite simply in a class of its own, offering all the elements required for a memorable fishing adventure.
We understand customer relations and fisherperson's needs. With a staff/customer ration of better than one to one, we can really take care of people. Our total focus is giving you the chance to have a perfect trip.
The entire operation, from a solar energy electric system to pine paneled guest cabins, is in sync with the arresting beauty of the area.
The view from the main lodge is inspiring. The hot tub is relaxing and the comforters are, well, comforting. This is a place you can bring your wife or your top customer with no fear hearing "why did you bring me here?" You would never believe that you're over 300 miles from a paved road. At Scott we believe a package should include everything you need. That includes en route accommodations, fishing license, house wine with dinner, soda, free use of fishing rods, reels, waders and even airport pick-up.
Our team is always ready and able to handle any problem or need. There are no "I'll have to talk to the boss" run-arounds.
We have the people to make sure your adventure is everything and more we promise. Scott is a place to have fun. It has a relaxed tone where people just enjoy being themselves. The intimate setting, with no more than 24 guests, facilitates this process.
The Lake
Located on the 60th parallel on the border of Saskatchewan and The Northwest Territories, Scott Lake is 40 kilometers long by 40 kilometers wide and has an extraordinary number of bays, islands, nooks and crannies that are home to some of the largest pike and lake trout in all of Canada.
Surrounded by a stunning shoreline of birch trees, jackpines, sand eskers and untouched wilderness, Scott Lake’s bottom topography is as diverse as its top. Submerged islands, reefs, rock piles, dropoffs to 170 ft. and shallow, 3-ft. bays offer ideal habitat for trophy fish in all weather conditions and throughout the season.
Accessible only by float plane, Scott Lake has evolved to its prime ecological potential, containing the maximum number and ratio of fish species that nature will allow.
Managed with the Future in Mind
Scott Lake is -- and will always be -- a highly productive and trophy fishing lake.
To maintain the quality of our fishery, and to ensure the intimacy we know you desire from a trip like this, we limit the number of guests at our lodge to only 24 per week. With more than 10,000 acres per boat, it’s easy to feel you have the whole lake to yourself, especially when you don’t see another boat all day.
Another major factor contributing to Scott’s renowned productivity is our long-standing barbless hook Catch-and-Release policy.
Since the mid 1960s, every fish taken out of Scott Lake has been put back in for the enjoyment of those to follow (except for the smaller, tastier volunteers that become delicious, fresh fish shore lunches prepared by your guide
The trophy fish are still swimming. We would be happy to assist if you would like a replica mount of your trophy.
The Fishing
Unlike many lakes where you have to choose either good action or trophy size, Scott Lake offers both.
It’s not uncommon here to land 60 to 80 fish a day for a single boat, and we’ve had more than a few with well over 100. And with a good percentage of those in the trophy class, fishing doesn’t get much better anywhere in the world.
Trophy fish are common at Scott. We consider a pike a trophy if it measures 41" or lake trout a trophy if it measures 35" or more and nearly every year our guests land more than 500 trophy pike and lake trout. We can’t even keep track of the "small" ones weighing between 10 and 18 lbs.
And you don’t have to fly out or spend all day in a boat getting to the fish. In fact, a number of the best lake trout spots on the entire lake are just a few minutes from the Lodge.
Scott lake is considered one of the best -- if not the best -- combination pike and lake trout waters in all of Canada. And with fly-out access to some of Canada’s largest arctic grayling, a triple-trophy week is definitely within reach.
Northern Pike
If you’ve never battled with a 20 lb.-plus northern, Scott Lake may be your best chance ever. Arguably one of the most voracious, hard-hitting and hard fighting of all predator fish, Scott Lake pike seem to have an extra mean gene in their genetic makeup.
Whether they’re exploding out of a crystal clear bay at the end of your fly rod or taking your favorite spoon for a run or two straight for open water, these pike will give you the fight of your life.
And all those 20-lb.-plus pike that have been released over the years keep getting bigger. . . and meaner.
Lake Trout
Scott Lake’s reputation for producing trophy lake trout is solid. Year in and year out our guests land trophies they’ll remember the rest of their lives. And the action is consistent.
Whether you’re trolling a dropoff or jigging an abyss, get ready for some exercise because prying these powerful monsters off their lair is no easy task. And judging by the number of lost battles in recent years with the kind of fish that fish stories are made of, we don’t expect our 44-lb. lake record to hold up much longer.
Arctic Grayling
If catching 60 or more grayling in a day is on your "To Do" list, we offer daily fly-out trips to some of the hottest and most scenic rivers in North America. Averaging nearly two pounds per fish, these popular fly-out trips are an excellent way to make this fishing trip of a lifetime just that.
The Lodge offers ultralight spinning gear or five-weight fly rods for grayling flyouts. No charge, of course.
Fly Fishing at Scott Lake
What a sight! You’re standing on the bow of an 18’ boat looking down into the incredibly clear waters of Scott Lake. You can see about a dozen pike, several in the 10 – 15 pound range and one a monster of 20 pounds or more. You lay out 40 feet of line placing a red and white deceiver about two feet in front of the big fish. Three quick strips. She turns her body in an S shape and explodes, engulfing the streamer.
You’re both hooked. This happens everyday at Scott Lake Lodge. Unlike most other Canadian pike fishing destinations, Scott Lake has all three of the critical ingredients for successful pike sight fishing: lots of fish (obviously), clear water (so you can see the fish) and water perfectly protected from wind and waves by Scott’s irregular shoreline, over 200 bays and 500 islands. Fish, clarity and calm waters, that’s the Scott formula for the most exciting fly fishing you can imagine.
At Scott Lake Lodge, an Orvis endorsed lodge, our fly fishermen get used to shouting "fish on!" On a typical summer day, they get lots of practice – 30 to 50 times a day. And these are not small fish.
The average fish is 6 to 8 pounds with lots of daily 10 pounders and plenty of fish around 20 pounds. The big fish of the 1999 season, a 50" pike with an enormous 24" girth, a fish near 40 pounds, was taken on a fly. At Scott last season 360 pike over 41" in length (about 18 pounds) were caught and released, most by fly fishermen.
Unlike bonefish, permit or spring creek trout, the pike of Scott Lake are not spooky, nervous quarry. They are fearless top of the food chain predators. You don’t need to throw perfect split-second 80-foot casts here. Generally, a close-enough cast of 30 to 40 feet will get you in the action.
While pike are the main event at the Scott Lake Lodge fishing show, they are not the only fish in town. During June (even into early July) there are plenty of hard fighting lake trout mixed in with the pike in the shallow bays.
Often prey for the pike, these trout don’t hang around for a second look at your fly but our fishermen do get some bonus trout while fishing for pike. By mid-July the trout go deep and require level 5 fast sink line to get in their zone. Some fly fishermen do go deep effectively for trout but it’s not as much fun as surface action.
In September the trout are right on top (2 to 4 feet of water) and provide incredible fly fishing with small streamers (blue and white is usually best). The weather in September can be cold but the action is always hot. Both pike and trout are very active.
Anytime at Scott is arctic grayling time. These beautiful, acrobatic fish evolved, it seems, to provide thrills to an angler with a three or four weight rod and some dry flies (elk hair caddis, humpies or royal wulffs are all you need). While there are not grayling right in Scott Lake, there are plenty at the six fly-out locations a short flight from the Lodge.
At five of these you can combine a day of pike and grayling fishing. If you’re a person who loves top water trout you may want to spend a full day with these opportunistic feeders. Imagine being on a western river and hooking 40 – 60 cutthroats in the 12-20" range per day. That picture is very close to a day on a grayling stream. Can you take it?
At Scott Lake Lodge fly fishing for pike (or lake trout) is not a passing fad. Since Scott was established as a catch and release Lodge a decade ago, fly fishing has always been a prime focus.
The professional guides at Scott have been trained by some of the best fly fishermen in the country including Lefty Kreh, Dave Whitlock, Dan Blanton and world distance casting champion Steve Rajeff. In addition, an Orvis professional works with our guides each season at ice out to improve their casting and guiding skills. No guide is hired unless they have a strong personal interest in fly fishing. Of the dozen guides at Scott, ten have become fly fishing fanatics. You will not have to explain what a sink tip line is or point out a right shoulder wind. These guys are good. And they make a mean shore lunch of fresh (usually 10 – 20 minutes out of the water) trout or pike. The shore lunch tradition here is alive and well but goes way beyond fried fish. Many fishermen rate the mid-day shore lunch above the evening meals. But don't tell our chef!
Our guides are only part of the extraordinary customer service program at Scott. Complimentary use of Orvis tackle is included (top-end silver label nine weight for pike and four weight for grayling). Bring your own gear if you like but all the good stuff is here for your use, even spinning gear if your arm gets too sore to cast.
Scott has a great selection of pike, lake trout and grayling flies. We also have a well stocked tying bench at the Lodge. Most of our guides tie and some will create a unique "fly du jour" for your use. It’s all in the spirit of having fun with fish – the key ingredient in your Scott Lake adventure.
If you think fly fishing is just for trout ask someone who’s tackled big pike in clear water. It’s both exciting and a bit exotic (without leaving North America). Most importantly, you will be with people who speak your (fly fishing) language and work hard 16 hours a day to show you a great time. It just doesn’t get any better.
Boats and Motors
All Scott Lake Lodge guests fish in custom made 18 1/2' aluminum boats. The boats have captain’s chairs, swivel seats and flat, casting bottoms. All camp boats are powered by quiet operating, reliable and environmentally friendly 40 horse Honda outboard motors.
Established flyout lakes are equipped with 16' aluminum boats, padded, swivel seats, depth finders, fish cradles and 25 horse 4-stroke Hondas. These boats would qualify as "lodge boats" at most Canadian camps.
Certain fly-out lakes get fished only once or twice a year and the fish inhabiting these remote lakes rarely see a lure. For accessing these remote lakes, we have two 15 1/2' inflatable Zodiacs. Fish water that has never been fished before in reliable ocean-worthy inflatable vessels and brand new Honda outboard motors.
20 Fly-out Lakes
You have an amazing range of fly-out opportunities at Scott. All have little or no fishing pressure.
The lakes that are listed "UNEXPLORED" have not yet been fished, and to the best of our knowledge, the fish of these lakes have not seen a modern day lure. We will be accessing these lakes as part of our Adventure Fishing Fly-outs using an inflatable, as pictured in the “Boat and Motors” section.
Saskatchewan Lakes:
Dodge -- When not used by our outpost camp guests we will allow you to sample the outpost fishing experience. Dodge Lake features a highly varied topography with depths of 200 feet and bays filled with lily pads, cabbage and eelgrass. An excellet double trophy opportunity. (Two boats based here.)
Grandin -- Unexplored - looks very intriguing from the sky. Zodiac access only. Never been fished.
Hemery -- Unexplored. Zodiac access only.
Marchant -- Full of trout. Just one trip here in 2000 but it was an incredible day for lake trout, including trophy trout caught on a fly. Zodiac access only.
Polaris -- Unexplored. Zodiac access only.
Thicke -- Basically unexplored. We were able to spend only one afternoon here but we found lots of deep water and good bays holding monster pike including a 22 pounder caught on a fly. It’s a beautiful lake with lots of rock outcroppings. Zodiac access only.
Vernon -- Unexplored. Zodiac access only. Never been fished.
Lefty Falls –
A great grayling fly-out. The scenic beauty of the falls is alone worth the trip. Perfect fly rod river. A 15-20 minute hike over tough terrain is required. Wading and walking along the river is the method of fishing here.
Northwest Territories Lakes:
Beauveais -- We've had a couple of test fishing trips here but still have not fished it from end to end. Very fast trout action and great pike bays. (Zodiac)
Burslem -- Finally fished this a few times in 2000 and found large cabbage patches and some great channels. The fish here are very aggressive. Fish the bays early in the day and hit the cabbage in the afternoon. Has had several days with multiple trophy pike. (Zodiac)
Desmaris -- Here’s our #1 combination pike/grayling flyout. The pike fishing here is tremendous including plenty of 40-42” fish. The hunt for monster pike continues. There are lots of pike weed beds. The outlet of the lake produces some of the more consistent grayling fishing in the area. It’s easy to wade the stream edge and there is only a 50-foot walk to start fishing. There are also grayling at the other end of the lake. (Two boats are based here.)
Dubawnt River -- If you want a relaxing day to play with the grayling, you can't do better than this stretch of the Dubawnt River near Ivanhoe Lake. For trout fisherman, it's a day in heaven. There's about a mile of great water with some trophy sized grayling. It's tough wading (slippery rocks) in a few places but it's worth it. (Wading from shore.)
Dunvegan -– Since July '97 Dunvegan has been "The Mother of All Fly-Outs." While the pike fishing there is exceptional, the trout fishing has been beyond words. Dunvegan is relatively easy to fish for trout. There are a few large holes in this sandy lake that concentrate the fish. The trout here have a huge girth leading us to believe there is a great forage base. For whatever reason Dunvegan produces a lot of "best fishing of my life" comments. Weather and water temperatures are factors affecting fishing everywhere, but Dunvegan is as close to a sure bet as you will find in the unpredictable world of fishing. (Two boats based here)
Gardiner -- In just a couple of years, Gardiner has built a reputation as most guides "first pick" flyout. It is great for both lake trout and pike. Double-digit pike trophy days are not impossible here. It's also a beautiful lake with large sand eskers to provide visual relief. It's hard to beat. (Two boats based here.)
Ivanhoe -- Pike fishing just doesn’t get any better than at Ivanhoe. The action is predictably fast and the average size is impressive. Ivanhoe has been a Scott flyout for several years and the guides know the hot pike bays. For some reason top-water lures (either fly or spin) are magic here. Catching a 30 - 50 pike on top in a day is not unusual. Because of its size and the limited fishing pressure (average of 10 groups a summer) Ivanhoe always seems fresh. The 30-minute flight to the northwest also puts you a bit closer to the barrens. The lake has a wonderful wilderness character. Ivanhoe is also one of our top lake trout producers. You can do a half-day of each. (Two boats based here)
Labyrinth -- One of our best producers of 45" to 50" pike. Part of Dubawnt River system, just upstream from Ivanhoe. Labyrinth receives very minimal fishing throughout the summer but when it does it produces reel-burning fights. If you get tired of fishing the toothy leviathans try your luck on some of the largest grayling caught in our neck of the woods. (Two boats based here)
Lacusta --This “new” lake has a couple of pike spots that are unbelievable. As a Zodiac lake, it produced in the 2000 season some of our most memorable days, including a 10-trophy pike day. A small lake, it will be restricted to one day of fishing per week. (One boat based here.)
Moss -- Moss has become know as an "action lake". Both trout and pike (including many trophies) are plentiful and eager. Moss has had relatively little pressure so much of it is still unexplored. A wild character is part of the package. (Two boats based here.)
Sandy -- This is our most northerly flyout lake. Like Labyrinth it is part of the Dubawnt River system. It's very fertile water. In only three previous trips by Zodiac it has produced 20 trophy pike. Also a first rate grayling opportunity..
Thomas -- Another new lake, it is like Lacusta, a small lake with lots of big pike. Incredible action. Fished only twice in 2000. Has some of the most aggressive pike we have ever seen. Like Lacusta, once a week only. (One boat based here.)
The Lodge
Newly remodeled with a look and feel of relaxed luxury, our inviting lodge is an ideal gathering place at the end of a great day of fishing.
Whether you want to relax in front of a toasty fire and enjoy a breathtaking view of the lake, tie a new fly or exchange fish stories, you’re sure to enjoy the comfort and atmosphere this modern lodge offers.
You’ll start your day with a hearty, home-style breakfast and look forward to returning in the evening for a glass of wine and an excellent dinner. Our famous fresh-fish shore lunches will be just as memorable and just as mouth-watering. If you’re planning on starting a diet, wait until after your fishing trip to Scott.
The Cabins
Offering the same world-class standards of quality as our lodge with plenty of room to stretch out. Our newly renovated and decorated Scott Lake cabins feature individual heating, pine paneled walls, modern bath, comfortable beds and daily maid service.
You will have to remind yourself just how far from "civilization" you really are, this is the type of accommodation you would expect in Chicago or New York.
Non-Fishing Activities
Canoes
Scott Lake Lodge has two 18' canoes available and at your disposal. Enjoy a quiet evening paddle around the lodge or be adventurous and take the canoes on an overnight expedition throughout the connecting waterways of Scott. All we ask is that you let us know where you are going and wear your life jacket. Our guides are available to accompany you on your outing.
Kayaks
We also have two sea kayaks at the Lodge. Enjoy an evening paddle with a friend exploring the many small islands around the lodge or take a break on a hot mid-summer day and enjoy a longer excursion. Either way, they are there to be used and have provided many guests with enjoyable outings.
The Tundra Trail
Each summer many guests enjoy a hike on the mainland just a mile north of the Lodge. A two mile trail winding around a small lake (we've now named it "Loon Lake" in honor of the nesting pair of loons on the lake) was blazed in '98. With the help of naturalist Denny Olson the trail has evolved into a full blown self-guided nature trail on par with what you would expect at state or national parks. Over twenty "stations" have been scripted. Next summer you can learn about the flora and fauna (and more than you may want to know about scat) of the Scott Lake region by simply taking a very enjoyable 40 to 50 minute hike. For most of the hike, the trail follows an esker (if you don't know what an esker is you need to take the hike) to one of the highest points in the vicinity, providing a spectacular view of the south end of Scott Lake. This view alone makes the hike a great investment of your time. Become an instant expert on the ecology of the area. Take a hike before dinner or, if you're an early bird, before breakfast. It will improve your appetite and attitude.
Flight-seeing
With the Lodge's own floatplane on-site we are able to tailor flight-seeing trips to guest’s individual needs. Fly north to the tundra and view the summer caribou herds and hike the scenic sand eskers. Or, head south for a fly over the Grease River system and photo opportunities at picturesque Hunt (Lefty) Falls.
The spectacular scenery, unique wildlife and excellent photo opportunities are well worth a day of your vacation.
Hang Out
Of course, you can just stay at the Lodge and relax. Enjoy our hot tub on the deck and let the cool summer breeze and warm sun hit your face. Relax in the Recreation Center and enjoy our extensive wildlife library, play some pool, watch a movie from our ample video collection or play a board game. After all, this is your vacation. Some of the best days are the ones where you just hang out.
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