It’s strange with fishing how each passing season stacks up differently than those which came before, even when you pretty much hit the same routines each year. 2023 was nearly identical to 2022 & 2021 with the dates and planning, but the results were rather opposite. Like, through 2022 I tripped four times having best results catching lakers, specks and pike while away, then when back home the muskies and gar proved a little tougher. Moving forward to 2023, fishing and traveling nearly the exact same dates as in 2022, the muskie and gar boated here in the valley were real solid while fishing all else took a bit of a back seat out traveling about. So I sit scratching my head around now, presently staring at a blank screen trying to think of just what might be some of the highlights and take-aways from 2023 and then it hits me… like always I’ll just go to the pictures, and some words will likely follow.
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WINTER.

For nearly a decade now the winters have begun in the far reaches of the snowy Arctic. January through May I’ll take on two bigger contracts and just plow through a big portion of my work year in Nunavut. It’s amazing to have carved out a place in my career where the balance of life falls quite completely under self control. A goal to complete about an annual standard of 2500+ hours on the job, during planned contracts of 130 to 140 days while during calendar dates which suit me best, away I go to the north.

And it’s often while I’m up there that the adventurous side kicks in. Kimmirut and Arctic Bay were the communities visited last winter, Kimmirut a familiar place while Arctic Bay was new. I couldn’t have had a better time in both. The weather in Arctic Bay was sunny every day for six weeks. A friend working at the same time, we took plenty of opportunities; when not short staffed getting hammered on duty and overtime, to hike and explore the land and frozen sea. I have many Kimmirut pictures from years gone by, some of them posted in earlier stories, and so being a fresh place to me and one considered top of the list with other very beautiful places in Nunavut, this here is Arctic Bay!

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On some Saturdays I’d head over the mountain to the next bay. There, a small iceberg of pure, ancient, freshwater glacial ice was frozen by sea ice near the shore. Chipping off chunks to fill a cooler, once melted back at the apartment I could percolate my coffees with only the finest.

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Timing was right to watch the participants of Nunavut Quest arrive from Igloolik. The 500km dog sled race across the arctic would end in late March, the town hosting hockey players, guests, family and friends from other Baffin communities.

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The favorite day in Arctic Bay was when Heidi and I walked up Mt. King George to its top. The hike on hard pack snow and in some places ice was a tough one on my skinny pins, it took a couple hours to reach the summit. Along the way though, were just these awesome Arctic vistas, red rocks, hoodoos and incredible scenes to capture with the lens.

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Having a work life like this helps keep the fire burning. During the many, many quiet hours over the winter spent in Bunk the Monk mode, I pass the time with exercise, writing, photography, planning trips, mapping and as always researching fishing. Alone especially, it has and always will remain important to have many projects in mind, hobbies and as best possible some motivation to try and stay fit. Rarely ever am I not looking forward to heading up north and doing the job. There’s always something about each community to look forward to.

Despite not posting about it, the past few years I have ice fished. In 2020 the last contributions were made to the website here, but in 21, 22 & 23 there have been big trips taken with StevieZ. Three years ago we did quite well to ice some great lakers, a number of them over twenty pounds. The following season we crushed ‘em over a week, a tonne of lakers iced and even more twenty plus’ers. This past snowy season the numbers fell short, kinda getting cut in half with neither of us catching fish over our picture worthy twenty pounds. Taking the one winter trip is pretty much the entire ice season now and truthfully, I love that it’s with Stevie and appreciate just the days of crawling in the pop-up, flippin’ on the Buddy Heater and quietly going about playing fishing video games all day long.
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SPRING.

Landing back home first week of May the grass needed cutting and a heaping pile of ice storm damage had to be cleaned up. Choring diligently through, it surprising didn’t take too long before Bambalam was on the water.

Love the early crappies! Love them!!! Had anyone said years ago that crappies are better eating than walleye I’d have smacked ‘em in the mouth. But they are! Or at least for a fried fish, they’re just as good. This season I had a slay day but found myself at sunset boxed in by other boats wanting in on the action. Returning three days later after the weekend and knowing those anglers had been back, the spot was spent! C’est la vie crappie, I did take a heavy haul for dinner so was pleased enough with that.

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First outings were actually for lakers though… if I remember right? OK numbers to start, it could have been worse had it not been for the new LiveScope helping things along. I’d pluck at lakers consistently along with gar through the remainder of the spring. The toothie fishing this past season was rather awesome too! Big fish, big numbers of big fish. A real treat was entertaining Amon my friend who traveled all the way down from his home atop of the earth in Grise Fiord, Nunavut. Never had he experienced anything like this kind of fishing. Leah came along with me twice too. Bren and I are empty-nesters so any chance, any time either of my beautiful girls are willing to spend time with their “old man” in the boat is always a huge highlight for me. ESPECIALLY when they reel in some awesome fish and enjoy themselves too.

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No matter what, every year, our annual “couples trip” north with Steve and Amelie is a gem. Love camping, love Nipigon, can’t get enough of the place and it’s incredible fishing. Bren this past season did rather well up there, hitting a grand slam on the big four fish species. Specks, lakers, pike and eyes! Amelie hoisted a best laker as well. In fact, we all caught grand slams and put a tonne of miles under our Lunds exploring new and old corners of the lake. Found several excellent new laker and speck spots. What’s really great too is come end of our days enjoying hearty meals, fish fries, some drinks and the company. No fires were allowed this year so all made the best of it playing cards. It was another memorable trip and this time around with Amelie back after being absent in 2022 with Covid. Don’t think we’ll ever stop going together.

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SUMMER.

Spring bled into summer and back home I snuck out a few days for some muskie fishing before the heat turned up too hot and the skitters turned even too bad for me. In the cooler mornings though, there were times to sneak out a couple other outings and look over local laker fishing conditions. Sadly, that never really got going too good… not the dates while I was around, and not ever at all. Some lakes didn’t set up their normal thermocline at usual deeper depths so forage remained high and scattered and pickings remained slim.

Thankfully there is always the opportunity to escape the intense summer heat and head north. Nunavut communities only have at most a few short weeks to months free of ice and snow. 24 hour day light, comfortable temperatures in the low teens to low twenties for a month or two, the tundra comes alive and the char are a biting. This year I enjoyed it on Boothia with Nursing friends Heidi and Maryna, and together we made a fine team to look after a very busy and demanding community. When given the chance I’d fish, while Maryna, well she’d dance! It was a great few weeks which left me rather exhausted come end. Arctic char though are worth every effort. Pulling sometimes 16 to 24 hour shifts, little to no sleep, when the off-call chance came to escape to the tundra rivers, there was no choice but to summon every bit of energy left for fishing. Amazing orange-buck-char were the rewards for this, and into the cooler headed for home went a full limit of better eating sized fish. Heidi came along one day as well and caught several first char ever, I think she really enjoyed that. Of all the catches in 2023 and any years before, legal muskies, fat pike, huge lakers, brookies, gar, etc., etc., the char just do it for me.

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Gave it about a week once home before packing up and driving north. Second trip to Nipigon, my buddies Keith and StevieZ would either be joining me, or me them, and together we’d make the best of our days chasing specks and lakers. I didn’t bother with pike this time around, other than maybe a half hour over the ten or eleven days there, just wasn’t feeling it. The specks were good, the lakers good too, and during my stay there conditions were interesting. Little changes to water temps really, slow to cool and yet, big changes with the laker patterns occurred. Specks however, they stayed consistent but did slow down nearing the end, only to pick up for Keith and friends after I left. What was best with this trip though, was having both the company and some days alone to just play too. The LiveScope was such a useful and fun addition that I now can’t ever imagine going forward without it. Sharpshooting shallow lakers was as good as it gets for a laugh. Stevie popped a PB after hunting it down too. Awesome!!! Both a tool and a toy the LiveScope brought some new and needed enjoyment to what was otherwise just a regular, yearly fishing routine.

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AUTUMN.

Mid September at home and not expected at work until early November was perfect! Love the fall, almost nothing but muskie fishing with friends and family, I had seven weeks to grind for giants. Brenda, Chrish, Mac, Keith and Megers,a bit more than half my time was spent with company fishing for skis, while the remainder I took myself to school looking about and learning some new things. It worked! As I’d said, 2022 had been a bit of a beat down after coming off a great 21, so it felt awesome to find good success again for everyone who came aboard in 2023. Except for Summer who sat in only a few hours one afternoon, most anglers got their 50+ inch fish and some their firsts or personal bests too. A great finish to the year, lots of boating, great memories and definite bonus bucket-lister taking in a TOOL concert with Summer over in Rochester. By the time those weeks were done I was very happily spent and actually looking forward to going back to work up north, just for the break. Muskie fishing is an ass whipping I’ll gladly take, despite those many Motrin aches. Too many highlights to list from the fall but the pictures will speak huge!

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Yeah, so some words did come after all, a wonderful trip around the sun it was. Looking really forward to 2024 with potentially many new things to come for Bren and I, and yet certainly for myself, I have many hopes of big experiences, bigger memories and the biggest of fish to come. There are still plenty of tales to pull out of the splashes for this red but slowly greying-bearded Nomad. The website here this year has seen a solid increase in readers as well, thanks again to all those who continue to take interest by stopping in here to my little corner of the world. Happy New Year everyone!

Bunk.
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