Rochon Lake in Nunavut: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Look for Rochon Lake in the Nunavut part of Nunavut. Land around it is spruce and muskeg. At 53.37 sq km you are fishing a fraction of it whatever you do. Bays run back a long way, and the fish move between them with the season. It is high ground by Nunavut standards. Arviat lies 423 km from the water. Saskatoon is the closest city, 1010 km away. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Rochon Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Rochon Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics. Weed gaps hold fish when the beds themselves are too thick.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 14°C; the cold one sits at -28°C. Open water arrives late and leaves early, which concentrates the fishing. Break-up comes around early June, and the run that follows is short and strong. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early June and starts locking again about mid October. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Plan around that when you fish Rochon Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Birch Bay is 14 km off. Confirm access to Rochon Lake locally before you travel.