taloyoak Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hodgey Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 Nanook You'll be glad to get back to some warmer weather! They are great photos mate. You would have no concerns about your fish spoiling in the heat. What styles of fishing did you do there (ice fishing, lake,etc)? How did your fishing tackle handle the extreme cold? Looking forward to your first blackie post Cheers Hodgey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davemmm Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 How did your fishing tackle handle the extreme cold? More importantly Nanook how did your tackle handle the cold? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taloyoak Posted October 30, 2008 Author Share Posted October 30, 2008 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!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsswordfisherman Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 Thanks for sharing this with us Nanook This form of fishing both fascinates me and scares me. back to Oz and fishraider. Why not join us for the next social and meet some raiders CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS Cheers mrsswordfisherman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taloyoak Posted October 30, 2008 Author Share Posted October 30, 2008 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!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hodgey Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 I can't imagine fishing in a location that offers such exciting fishing ... and not having to share it with anybody -62 degrees? That's damn cold! Thanks for the info on the fishing techniques and equipment, mate. Temperatures of those extremes was bound to have an adverse effect on equipment. That was a great read mate, and some more terrific photos. Enjoy your time back in Sydney. You would probably appreciate this post: Ice fishing in style Cheers Hodgey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arpie Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 OMG!! That's insane fishing Nanook!!! You must be our most dedicated fisho to put up with those temps! I'll never complain about Jindabyne being cold again!!! I slept in a snow covered tent one night at Hammerfest in '77 ........ the next night I slept on the floor in the kitchen with the ovens on . We went fishing whilst it was snowing in a funny little 'double ender' boat & it was the first time I ever used a 'plastic' lure - all it was was a bit of plastic tubing (the end sliced to a point) slid onto a hook on a paternoster setup & then jigged over the side of the boat! Can't even remember what species we caught! I know we had to get it down 2-300ft! If you ever come up Forster way, we can go blackie fishing together! :) Cheerio Roberta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taloyoak Posted October 30, 2008 Author Share Posted October 30, 2008 OMG!! That's insane fishing Nanook!!! You must be our most dedicated fisho to put up with those temps! I'll never complain about Jindabyne being cold again!!! I slept in a snow covered tent one night at Hammerfest in '77 ........ the next night I slept on the floor in the kitchen with the ovens on . We went fishing whilst it was snowing in a funny little 'double ender' boat & it was the first time I ever used a 'plastic' lure - all it was was a bit of plastic tubing (the end sliced to a point) slid onto a hook on a paternoster setup & then jigged over the side of the boat! Can't even remember what species we caught! I know we had to get it down 2-300ft! If you ever come up Forster way, we can go blackie fishing together! :) Cheerio Roberta 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brickman Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 that's amazing nanook were there things there that eat you[bears] being an old frank zappa fan i just ca'nt resist watch out were the huskys go and do'nt tread in that yellow snow the fella fank was singing about name was nanook great post any nore pics cherrs gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taloyoak Posted October 30, 2008 Author Share Posted October 30, 2008 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brickman Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 that remind me off hexam on a sumer night truely a place off extremes brears freek me out we ran into a bear in the rockys in the usa never like bears since gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamtime Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 Great read and some excellent pictures Nanook. You can have your cold to yourself though, I think my body would seize up in that environment. Little confused about the esky in one of your pics - or is that to keep the beer hot? Cheers Mariner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taloyoak Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewgaffer Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Great posts and photos Nanook. I don't think there would be all that much future in selling thongs to the locals over there. Cheers jewgaffer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luderick59 Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 hi matt glad you joined the site see you down the lake peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glennmreid Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Hi Nanook, to Fishraider. Love the photos. Keep them coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robeebee Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 great pics mate to the site Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogtooth Posted November 16, 2008 Share Posted November 16, 2008 That is a top report Nanook . When fishing in the ice holes are they Saltwater fish or freshwater fish . As i once watched a show where they caught giant sharks fishing in little holes like that using Tiagras and game rods . And they used a deck winch setup with a plate of steel similar to a permatrim as a sinker to catch the current and clipped on 30 hooks . when they bought it up every hook had a fish... Cheers John... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taloyoak Posted November 16, 2008 Author Share Posted November 16, 2008 That is a top report Nanook . When fishing in the ice holes are they Saltwater fish or freshwater fish . As i once watched a show where they caught giant sharks fishing in little holes like that using Tiagras and game rods . And they used a deck winch setup with a plate of steel similar to a permatrim as a sinker to catch the current and clipped on 30 hooks . when they bought it up every hook had a fish... Cheers John... G'day John, Only fished in saltwater twice on the Arctic Ocean- as the only fish that you catch up that end of the world is Cod. Taste ok, but boring to catch. 99.9% of fishing is done on lakes ( freshwater). The main fish I caught were Arctic Char and Lake trout. I used a piece of wood as a rod, and either 80lb + line or even better nylon cord ( about 200lb)- worked just fine!. The sharks they were probably catching were Greenland Sharks as I think they are the only sharks up there. I've certainly never seen one. Cheers, Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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