Fishing at Birch Bay, Nunavut, Nunavut

• Overview

  Nunavut holds Birch Bay, in Nunavut. The ground around here is northern bush. It is high ground by Nunavut standards. Arviat lies 420 km from the water. The nearest city of size is Saskatoon, 1000 km away. Within easy reach: Rochon Lake after 14 km, Linklater Lake near enough 30 km and Kasba Lake after 50 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Birch Bay

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Flats either side fish on the drop as bait is pushed off them. Oyster and old piling give the only hard structure in sight. Birch Bay responds to conditions more than to tactics. Slack water beside moving water is always worth a look.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 14°C, while January sits near -28°C. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. After early June the shallows warm and the fish move up. Ice clears near early June and comes back about mid October in a typical year. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Birch Bay runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. If the gate is shut, Rochon Lake at 14 km is the nearest alternative. Where Birch Bay is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.