Harling Lake in Nunavut: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Nunavut, is where Harling Lake sits. The water sits 120 metres up. Surface area runs to some 13.57 sq km, so a boat and a plan are both worth having. There is roughly 42 km of bank, and each arm behaves like its own water. Start from Arviat, 146 km down the road. The big place round here is Saskatoon, 1224 km distant. Neighbouring water: Yandle Lake 20 km, Savard Lake at 30 km, JacobsLake 38 km and South Henik Lake at 47 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Harling Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. At Harling Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes. The catchment above it covers around 384 sq km, enough to colour the water after a wet spell.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 13°C, while January sits near -30°C. The year here is short and sharp: a long lid, then a burst of open water. Look for the thaw near mid June; the fishing lifts straight after. Break-up near mid June, freeze-up near mid October: that is the shape of an average year. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. The season on Harling Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Yandle Lake is 20 km off. Rules at Harling Lake are worth checking on the day.