Contwoyto Lake, Nunavut: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Contwoyto Lake is a Nunavut water, in Nunavut. The setting is dry open country on every side. Surface area runs to some 1053.82 sq km, so a boat and a plan are both worth having. Its shape is complex, and the arms fish like separate waters. Size puts it in the front rank of our Nunavut list. Start from Kugluktuk, 301 km down the road. Yellowknife is 400 km away, with Behchokǫ̀ at 409 km. Nearest other option: Concession Lake 33 km away. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Contwoyto Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Contwoyto Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 9°C; by January the average is down near -29°C. The season is measured in weeks rather than months. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid June. The season between ice runs from about mid June to early October. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. The season on Contwoyto Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Concession Lake, 33 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Contwoyto Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.