Fishing Lake of Islands in Nunavut, Nunavut

• Overview

  The Nunavut entry here is Lake of Islands, in Nunavut. The coast is 14 km away. Surface area runs to roughly 8.64 sq km, so plan for one area rather than the whole. The perimeter is close to 56 km, and wind can be flat in one arm and rough in the next. The closest town, Rankin Inlet, is 220 km away. Winnipeg sits 1660 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Nothing else of size sits close, so plan the day around this one. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lake of Islands

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. 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. Anyone new to Lake of Islands should walk it once before setting up. Where the wind piles up, so does the food.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 11°C and February at -30°C. Cold dominates the calendar on water this far north. Break-up comes around late June, and the run that follows is short and strong. Break-up sits around late June on average, with the water closing again about early October. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. At Lake of Islands the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Check the current arrangement for Lake of Islands.