Joe Lake in Nunavut: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Look for Joe Lake in Nunavut. It sits at 150 metres above sea level. It covers about 52.26 sq km, which means weather matters as much as tactics. The bank is deeply indented, so shelter is easy to find in any wind. The closest town, Baker Lake, is 245 km away. Gjoa Haven is 285 km and Cambridge Bay 420 km. Close by you also have: Bromley Lake 36 km away, 55 km away is Ian Calder Lake and Deep Rose Lake 60 km away. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Joe Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Joe Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance. The far bank looks better because you cannot see the snags.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -33°C in January up to 9°C in July. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. The lid usually goes in late June, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Averages place the thaw at late June and the freeze at early October. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Joe Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Bromley Lake is 36 km off. Confirm before you fish Joe Lake.