Imagine fishing in 24 hours of daylight under the glowing Arctic sun. Imagine fast-flowing rivers, the cleanest lakes on earth, and the rugged coastline of the Arctic Ocean.
Nunavut offers a vast variety of exciting opportunities for fishing. Enjoy arctic char runs near the soaring peaks of Cumberland Sound in the Baffin region. You also experience spectacular fly-fishing opportunities on the Coppermine River in Kugluk/Bloody Falls Territorial Park.
Take fly-in canoe trips along the Kivalliq region’s many bountiful river systems. This area offers plenty of options for the avid angler. Here’s your guide to fishing in Nunavut!
The History of Fishing in Nunavut
For generations, the Inuit have been catching various species of marine life in imaginative ways. Traditionally, they fished using weirs called salutes.
These fish traps were created in rivers and streams by using rocks to build a V-shaped funnel into a closed-off pond. This is where fish could be caught by hand or speared with three-pronged fishing spears known as kakivaks.
Today, fishing in Nunavut is widespread, with plenty of towns and fishing spots to choose from.
The Most Popular Fishing Towns and Parks in Nunavut
Nunavut offers a vast number of options for avid anglers.
Here are a few of the places that draw fishermen and women to the territories’ waters every year.
- Naujaat (Repulse Bay)
- Auyuittuq National Park
- Sirmilik National Park
- Ellesmere Island
- Pond Inlet
- Cunningham Inlet (Somerset Island)
- Iqalugaarjuup Nunanga Territorial Park
- The Northwest Passage
Within a remote and rugged landscape, Nunavut promises the fishing trip of a lifetime. With up to 24 hours of daylight, casting for trophy-sized pike and arctic grayling is uninterrupted by darkness.
Today, fishing lodges and full-service communities are spread throughout Nunavut. From below the tree line to the ice-gripped rock and gravel of the northern islands. Nunavut provides anglers with true adventure in a land like nowhere else on earth.
What Can You Catch in Nunavut?
Here are a few of the fish species available to anglers in Nunavut.
Arctic Char
The Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) belongs to the salmon family and generally has a dark green back, which shades to silvery sides and belly. These fish also have pinkish spots on the sides.
In its spawning colors, the arctic char displays ivory-tipped blood-red fins, crimson belly, and greenish flanks speckled with red. On average, their weight averages between 2.3 to 32 kg (5 to 7 lbs), although in fresh flowing waters, they can weigh upwards of 6.8 kg (15 lbs).
No other freshwater fish is found as far north. The Arctic char is spread throughout the Kitikmeot and Qikiqtaaluk Regions and the northern Kivalliq Region. Captured all across Nunavut, especially in coastal rivers, Arctic Char is popular. The Inuit people called it “fish” — “iqaluk” in Inuktitut.
Arctic char are anadromous, which means they are born in freshwater. They spend much of their lives feeding in the sea and return then to fresh water to spawn. The young hatch in late April and may spend four or five years in freshwater. They then join adult char in their annual migration back to the ocean from early June to mid-July.
Landlocked Arctic Char
Landlocked arctic char are found in lakes that were once connected to the ocean. Anglers can fish these char year-round. However, if you are targeting sea-run fish, plan your trip to correspond with their migration back to the ocean to feed in spring. Or when returning up rivers in the late summer or fall to spawn.
The best fishing times for char migrating upstream are closely related to the tide. Because char cannot leap like Atlantic salmon, they depend on the tide to surmount obstacles like falls. This results in the largest number of fish being in the river at high tide.
Ice fishing for char occurs in winter through the ice of inland lakes.
Lake Trout
Lake trout are distributed widely throughout the major river and lake systems of mainland Nunavut in the Kivalliq and Kitikmeot Regions. The lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) is actually a species of freshwater char, highly prized as both a game and food fish.
These top predators strike aggressively and fight with dogged determination. Native only to the northern lakes of North America, Nunavut lake trout grow to trophy size and are commonly caught in the 10-23 kg (22-50 lb.) range.
Lake trout are coloured with light spots on a darker background and with a light colour underneath. They are found throughout the Thelon, Back, and Coppermine drainage systems.
“Lakers” are plentiful and provide spectacular sport fishing in hundreds of fast-flowing rivers, streams, and lakes. Fish weights of 13.6 to 18.1 kg (30 to 40 lbs.) are common.
Northern Pike
Pike prefer warm, heavily vegetated rivers and weedy bays of lakes and are widespread throughout southwestern Nunavut in the Kitikmeot and Kivalliq Regions. The northern pike (Esox lucius) is an aggressive predator that strikes hard with remarkable acceleration.
This long and narrow fish is great for eating and can grow larger than 18.1 kg (40lbs.). Although the average size is generally between 2.3 and 6.8 kg (5 to 15 lbs.)
Pike prefer warm, slow, heavily vegetated rivers or warm, weedy bays of lakes. These fish have a long body with a dark green to brown colour along the dorsal surface. The colour of the sides is lighter and marked with 7 to 9 irregular vertical rows of yellow to white spots.
These fish generally run between 2.3 and 6.8 kg (5 to 15 lbs.). However, quite a few pike weighing 13.6 and 18.1 kg (30 to 40 lbs.) have been taken.
Arctic Grayling
The arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus) is a feisty species of freshwater fish easily recognized by its prominent, sail-like dorsal fin. It is common in the large river systems of the Kivalliq Region and southern Kitikmeot Region.
While average weights hover around the .9kg (2lb.) mark, there are areas of Nunavut where grayling that come close to the world record 5 lbs. 15 oz. are caught regularly.
Putting up a terrific fight on light spinning tackle or fly fishing gear, arctic grayling are caught in the moving the water of rivers. They are also found in bays of some larger lakes.
The arctic grayling is a beautiful fish: dark blue on the back and purple-grey on the sides. A distinctive characteristic is its large, sail-like dorsal fin, which is coloured a blackish blue with violet spots. Average weights are from 0.4 to 0.9 kg (1 to 3 lbs). The grayling is particularly common in the Coppermine, Thelon, and Back drainages.
During the summer, they can be caught in cold, swift rivers and in bays of some larger lakes.
Stay Safe When Using a Boat for Fishing in Nunavut
When using a boat to go fishing in Nunavut, make sure you know how to stay safe on the water. Whether it’s a calm, relaxing day on a lake or you’re fighting a big fish as you try to reel it into the boat, you never know when something could go wrong on the boat.
The best way to learn everything you need to know about boating safely (and meet Canada’s requirements for legal boating) is to take the online boating education course from BOATsmart! You’ll also be able to get your boating license after completing the course and passing the exam.
Then, you’re ready to hit the waters in Nunavut to reel in a big one!
Originally published in November 2018. Content most recently reviewed and updated for relevancy and accuracy October 10, 2024.
