Char Fishing in Labrador

What's an Arctic Char?
Char fishing in Labrador is a new fishing experience to most fisherman. Char are generally not found near populated areas in eastern North America and thus, few fisherpersons have ever met their graces. Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) are circumpolar in distribution and different races are found through Russia, Kamchatka, Fennoscandia, Iceland, Greenland, Alaska, and of course Canada. The northern cousin of the Brook Trout, char may live 10 or more years and may acheive a weight of 15-25 pounds in the larger rivers. Char spawn in the fall, hatch in the spring, spend a few years in the river as juveniles, feed heavily at sea, migrate up rivers and streams in summer, and in most biological respects (including appearance, life history, and behaviour) are very similar to Brook Trout. The larger char are only found in rivers where the fish have access to the sea where they behave similar to sea-run trout. The largest char in the IGFA record book is 12.2 kg (26.86 lbs) and was caught on the Tree River, NWT, however larger char are rumoured to have been caught in numerous location on the Ungava Penninsula in Quebec and Labrador. The largest I personally know of was 26 pounds and was caught at Tasuiyak Lake in Labrador. World records that can be easily broken (just about any day of the week) while fishing at Saglek include: 3 kg line class on spinning gear (6 pound test) and will require a 9 lb 2 oz char, and 2, 3, and 8 kg line class (4 6, and 16 lb test) for fly rod and will require 11 lb 2oz, 13 lb 10oz, and 14 lb 14oz char respectively. World record entree forms are available through us and will require a guides approval. Other record can also be broken while at Seglek but will require some lengthy fishing and a little skill (15-20 pound char) on very light (2-6 pound test) or heavy 16-20 pound test line.

Fishing for char should be simple then - right? I just gather up all my trout fishing gear and I'm ready. No. I'm afraid its not that simple. While trout fishing and char fishing have their similarities; they are very different in many respects. Below you'll find some things I've learned (or been taught) while fishing for char:

General Info

Fish as close to the sea as possible.
Char feed like pirannha while in the sea and may return to the tidal outflow a few times even after entering a river a mile or more. I have caught many colored char in tidal pools.
Conversely, the longer they are in fresh water the harder they are to catch. By September, they are very difficult to catch and are close to spawning in many regions.
Larger, longer, rivers hold larger char.
Think like you were fishing for sea-run trout or fresh Atlantic Salmon.
Stay below a 47.5 degree angle of incidence from the water surface.
Beware shadows - even from a fly-line on the surface in full sun.
Sound travels 5 times faster and clearer in water - stay on dry land when approaching a pool.
Northern rivers are the clearest in North America and char are easily spooked. Fish them from as great a distance as possible and you'll catch more.
Colored char are beautiful but are VERY difficult to catch. The fish fresh out of the ocean (silver) are the ones that will grab anything as soon as it hits the water.
High tide in the middle of the char migration is where the fastest, most intense action is and the biggest char are generally the first ones to hit the river.
Rest a fishing spot for at least 1 hr after the fishing slows down.
Rotate fishing locations at least once every 2 hrs.

The Gear

The first thing you will need is a camera! The second thing is twice as much film as you have when you think you've got too much film packed! Then give the camera to the guide with instructions to not have any film left when you're done fishing. Don't try and take the pictures yourself, you'll be busy trying to take everything in on top of fishing for char and you'll miss a lot of good photo opprotunities.
You'll generally catch more fish on hardware (lures, spinners, etc) than on a fly.
Use 1/4oz to 1/2oz lures that are shiney and/or have fluoresent orange or pink in them. An example would be the orange "Pixie" by Blue Fox -guides have sold these for $20USD at our lodge and the client thought it was a bargin! Bring lots so you don't run out - the nearest store is a long way away and nobody wants to part with their tackle. Char feed on small minnows (silver) and on small shrimp like animals called krill (orange), besides when they are feeding you want something that can be seen from a great distance and has them all fighting for a bite of it.
Use streamers, nymphs, and dry flies as you would for trout. Bright silver, red and orange streamers (weighted and unweighted) work best except when they are surface feeding at which time you should "match the hatch".
Use at least 1X - 0X or 12 lbs test line. Char have sharp teeth (especially the kyped males) and fight like Atlantic Salmon.
A 9' fly rod with weight forward, 8 weight, floating AND sinking tip fly-lines are recommended due to wind, long distance casting, and preferential sub-surface feeding. A minimum of 100 yrads of backing after the fly line is recommended as large char are strong fighters. The biggest ones are usually caught down deep - weighted flies and sinking tip lines avoid the smaller more agressive char which rise up from the bottom and take it before a large char has had time to consider your offering.

Other Char "Fisherthings"

Watch for bears (black and polar in Ungava), carry some mace in your pocket, and don't fish from game trails along river banks or closed-in areas where your vision is restricted too much like in a willow bed, deep gouged river bed, etc., without a lookout. Bears like fish too! Besides, rabies runs on a 3-5 year cycle in most animal populations and even a fox or wolf can get nasty. If a Polar Bear is nearby your guide will be vacating the area immediately.

Char Fishing in Labrador

Char fishing is generally fast paced. Combine this with the isolated and tranquil scenery found around most good char rivers, and the angler is involved in a fishing experience that dreams were made of.

Char Fishing in Labrador

A good Arctic Char fishing LINK for biological and other information.

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