taloyoak

Mr Magoo, You should NEVER pay for any software if you can help it!-( I will get into trouble from others for saying this), but if it is there for free why not?. Some good software for antivirus are: Bit Defender, or AVG. Norton is crap. Also, you should be using Mozilla Firefox as your web browser rather than IE5, it is way safer. if you have any trouble let me know, i would be glad to help. cheers, Matt

sorry girls/guys, didn't measure the Surgeon. I have caught a bunch there now, that was about the average size. Holy Mackerel do they fight. I was being busted off all the time, but let them run a bit ( hard because lots of seaweed and rocks to get busted on. ) But, they go like a tomahawk cruise missile on blackfish gear. It is hard to let them run too much especially on 6lb line, easy to bust off, and using the palming method of the blackfish real is another fun thing to do. Yeah they taste great!. wish I could just catch them instead of them blackfish, 10 times more fun!

I didn't think there were Sturgeon in Australia???. They catch plenty in Canada.

The walk is 5 to 10 mins. I haven't been there in a few years, but around the left hand side of the beach there are some great spots for Drummer and Blackfish. Bring bread to berley up the pigs. there is plenty of cabbage there. Some huge pigs have been caught there. Here is the spot i have done well at.

Have you looked at any other brands?. I have been using Lowrance for years, both Marine and Land, mounted and handheld- simply because they provide some of the most detailed mapping available for the world. There Nautical maps are outstanding.

These were take a couple of weeks ago, but I thought I had deleted them off my laptop. I have been fishing at Narrabeen Lake for Blackfish almost every other day since coming home to Sydney, and was really impressed one day when this 12 y.o kid ( Jackson) was catching a few Blackies. So anyway, I went against the traditional blackfisherman " rules" and showed him how to properly rig his line etc. Well that was a bad move, he caught twice as much as me!. His Pop taught him, and anyway I decided to give him my custom centerpin Blackfish reel, as he would probably make good use of it, and I own 3 reels anyway. I ended up taking him and his Pop down to the Harbour at Kirribilli, to where I fish a lot. Huge fish there, and actually, loads of Surgeons for that little extra excitement. But, the fish are pretty shy, and can be frustrating at times, compared to the ease of Narrabeen. Jackson caught his PB Blackfish there, and I caught a nice Surgeon on 6lb line- boy do they go hard!. It is great to see the young kids learning this craft!

Thanks for the comments everyone, Roberta- I am a Nurse Practitioner. Mrs Sword- Yes Nanook is the Inuktitut word for Polar Bear however it is spelled NANUQ. here is the spelling in the language: ᓇᓄᖅ if anyone wants to know anything more, or how to get there etc, etc, then just ask I would be more than happy to tell you. Matt

Well done, such a nice looking fish!

Here are some general pics from my life i the Arctic. Enjoy.

Where did you say that was?... I'm packing my bags now and moving there!

You guys/Gals are probably sick of all the photos already, but if you want to see some more let me know I have literally thousands. here are a bunch more from various places I have lived in the Canadian Arctic. Check out the high tec fishing rods used for ice fishing...lol. Temperatures in Winter go down to -60c( ambient- i.e: without windchill), and in some places upto +25c in Summer, but average summer temp is about 5-10c. 7 weeks of 24hr sun in Summer, and opposite in Winter. Sizes: Lake Trout ( most common fish ) upto 100lbs, Arctic Char ( best tasting in the whole world) upto 70lbs, Pike upto 50lbs, Inconnu( Coney, or Arctic Tarpon) uptp 80lbs. If any of you want unlimited fishing, everylake is literally teeming with fish. There is no one to have to share lakes with, and absolute wilderness/remoteness. There are a few guides up there, but it is such a huge area ( check out the provinces/states of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories ) to see how big it is, and there are only about 30,000 people in the whole province of Nunavut. All communities in Nunavut are fly in only. Average community populations are about 600 people. Smallest is Grise Fiord on Ellesmere Island pop 108, and largest is Iqaluit of about 5000. To see how remote theses places are where I have lived, then look up TALOYOAK, GRISE FIORD, HOLMAN, TUKTOYAKTUK, PAULATUK, GJOA HAVEN, CAPE DORSET, on Google Earth to get an idea. I hope you enjoy the pics. Cheers, Nanook more more more more

Mariner, Yep you're right- it is to keep stuff warm...lol. Although they call it a "cooler" over in Canada. It works extremely well at keeping things from going hard as concrete. Yes I get sick of the cold too sometimes, although I just got home after spending the day at Narrabeen Lake for blackfish, and it is soooooooo hot there today, even with the gale force winds down there right now. Ahhh, home in aircon is great!

Bears are usually not a problem in Winter, only Summer when the ice retreats on the ocean and they are forced onto land,, and hungry. The main danger is the remoteness. You are on your own if something goes wrong. I have walked back 30 miles after my Skidoo broke down. After that I bought a satelitte phone. In spring, when the ice gets thin, you have to be careful, but you learn quickly, or you are dead, simple as that. it is no place to muck around. The main problem is the mosquitoes in Summer ( see pic), they are so bad you need a bug jacket with hood.

Hey Roberta, lol.... I just love fishing and exploring, so it works well up there. I don't know the fish you are talking about, but Norway sounds nice. Will be coming past Forster in Jan, on my way up the coast for fishing and camping for a couple of weeks, so thanks, might take you up on the guided tour of that area. Good to see girls hitting the Blackfish... there was one the other day at Narra Lake, really keen on it too.

At -50c eggbeaters seize up quickly. The grease/oil becomes too viscous. Any metal touched will freeze to you instantly. Having said that I didn't make it habit to fish in -50c, although have many times. At that temperature, doing most things is a pain in the arse. Simply put- the less moving parts the better. Here is a pic I took of me on the coldest day I have experienced. -62c ambient temperature( not including windchill). I was out fishing about 60 km's from home for the weekend, and boy that was just plain cold!.

Well most of the places I have lived up there, there is snow and ice for 9-10 months. So Ice fishing is mainly done. You need to drill through 8ft of ice ( using a petrol powered auger with 10 inch bit, and a home made extension). Then a piece of wood and some line around it make up the high tech rod. We usually used nylon cord as it is stronger. At 40 or 50 below the holes start freezing quickly so you have to always be breaking it again. Lines freeze almost instantly at -50c, but put the line between your boots and pull to clear it. BIG lures ( Len Thompson spoons) are used, and I know you won't believe me, but the bait used on the hook is a piece of white plastic from a grocery shopping bag!- works a treat. In August -September ( Summer), I fly fished everyday I could, as there is 24 hr sun, so even at 3am it is like lunchtime. I have 2 rods, a 6 and an 8 wt. 6 wt is a Loomis GLX, with Ross reel, the 8 wt is a Thomas and Thomas with Scientific Anglers reel. Mostly use fast sinking lines, and huge streamers. The fish aren't fussy, you could basically throw anything bright out and they will bite.The fishing up there in Nunavut and the North West Territories is world class. Just about every lake is chock-a-block full of fish. You could easily catch over a hundred fish a day, and big fish at that. Only fish I've caught are Lake Trout, Arctic Char, Northern Pike, Arctic Cod, and Inconnu. It is like you died and went to fishig heaven, and absolutely no one else there. I flew my best mate up from Narrabeen 3 years ago for a 1 month fishing trip. We had a nice lake to ourselves, and saw no-one for a whole month. But the downside is that it is soooo remote. totally self reliant, and you can only get up there to the various Inuit communities by plane, and it is expensive$$$. Unless you have loads of spare cash, going on a fishing trip up there is too expensive. To just fly from Sydney to Iqaluit ( Baffin Island) is $5500 rtn, then you need to get to the communities from there, so add another $1,000, then add accomodation etc, and you can see!. I had( well I still live there, just back in Sydney for 12 months) the luxury of living there, have a boat, snowmobile etc, plus know the areas well as I spend all my time out exploring the fishing spots, so am lucky. In 8 years living up there, I have never come across any fishing trips ( tourists ). I'm glad to be back here for a bit to the warmth. I have been fishing everyday for the last 5 weeks, at Narrabeen lake, and at Kirribilli. All for blackfish, and making good cathces. Also caught a few Surgeons at the Harbour after big fights, and a few bust offs. Surgeons are awesome to hook on luderick rods and fight like pigs!.

Hi All, Well OK it is far from Sydney, however I am from Sydney so thought some of you would like to see what the fishing in the Canadian High Arctic is like. I just returned to Sydney after living in the cold for 8 years. I now can finally go Blackfish fishing again!- mainly in the Harbour and at Narra Lake..... Enjoy the pics