Kummel Lake in Nunavut: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Nunavut, this is Kummel Lake. The shore lies 24 km out. It covers about 21.23 sq km, which means weather matters as much as tactics. The perimeter is close to 244 km, and wind can be flat in one arm and rough in the next. Supplies mean a trip to Rankin Inlet, 151 km off. Baker Lake follows at 160 km, then Arviat at 343 km. Round about: Pungak Lake a shade over 10 km and Fehet Lake at 27 km. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Kummel Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. At Kummel Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes. First and last light beat anything in between.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 11°C in July and bottom out at -32°C in January. A short, intense season is the rule this far north. Once it clears, about late June, the fishing comes on quickly. Break-up near late June, freeze-up near early October: that is the shape of an average year. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Kummel Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Pungak Lake sits 10 km off and takes the overflow. Rules at Kummel Lake are worth checking on the day.