Winter Fishing in the North

First make your hole.

Whether it’s traditional Dene net fishing, or jigging straight down with a rod, single line and hook, you must get through a meter or more of ice to start. Today, this is most easily done with a gas- or battery-powered auger – a kind of giant drill. An alternative is a sharpened steel pole called a needlebar; harder, longer work but easier to carry, if weight/bulk are an issue. But what happened back in the day, before steel was available?

Photo: Hannah Eden

The job was done by chipping away with a chisel made of antler or stone. That hole was just the beginning: up to six of them were needed, depending on the length of the net. Next came a rope made from caribou sinew: tied to a three-meter lengths of spruce, this was slid from hole to hole just below the ice pan. Finally came the precious net: made using the inner bark of willow, rolled between hand and leg to make twine, this would take a whole family weeks to weave. The tools and materials manufactured nowadays might make the job quicker and easier, but in essence the same time honoured principles are used to set a net; it is a time-consuming and cold task demanding great skill by local Dene and Métis fishermen (and sometimes women).

One of the skidoo excursions offered by Blachford Lake Lodge (http:// http://www.blachfordlakelodge.com/packages-reservations/snowmobiling) will take you to learn more about this traditional practice, which has provided a vital source of food for indigenous people for millennia: watch them check the net, and if you like, lend a hand and help land whitefish, trout, pike and, occasionally burbot.

For a more familiar style of fishing, try your luck with a rod and line just a short walk from the lodge. You could be lucky, like first-time fisherwoman, our recent guest Minako Eto. She needed the help of her two grown children to hold the monster northern pike she landed one afternoon last month. Within an hour it had been cleaned, ready for Rafe our chef to serve it up for dinner that evening.

Photo: Michiko Eto

 

February Aurora Report

This month’s photo favourite is from Martina Gebrovska – does it get any better than this?

Side note: Our lucky guests have the opportunity to see how an igloo is built. Makes for some good photo ops!

January Aurora Report

These sparkling lights have been dancing high above Blachford – here’s our favourite aurora photo of the month, by Nico Endmann, one of our volunteers.

Twin Otter – The Workhorse of the North

A stay at Blachford Lake Lodge begins with a thrilling 25 minute bush-plane flight over stunning unspoiled wilderness. Most of these flights are in the iconic Twin Otter, known as the “Workhorse of the North”.

 

Photo: Nico Endmann

Originally built for the rugged and inaccessible parts of Canada’s north, the Twin Otter is the plane of choice for use in some of the world’s most remote and hard-to reach places, including the deserts of North Africa, the mountains of the Himalaya and the snows of Antarctica.

Conceived and built in Canada, the Twin Otter was first used in 1965. As well as being able to land on water, snow, ice and rough ground, the plane is flexible inside too: it can carry up to 19 passengers or 1940kg of freight or a mixture of the two, making it ideal to bring guests to Blachford, along with all their luggage plus food for the stay, and from time to time the occasional snowmobile that may need some attention in town.

In July 2011, a Twin Otter brought the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Blachford Lake Lodge.

Some techno stuff:
This is for the 400 series, the latest version of the Twin Otter, first delivered in 2010 after the aircraft had been out of production for over 20 years. If you fancy a new one now, you’ll have to wait for around two years.

• Top Speed: 296 km/h
• Range: 1,427 km/h
• Weight: 2,654 kg
• Cruise Speed: 278 km/h
• Wingspan: 20 m
• Engine Type: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A

Photo: Chris Lang

 

Blachford’s Hot Tub Top Tips

Did you know? 

Blachford Lake Lodge is the only year-round lodge in Canada with a hot tub directly beneath the auroral oval. Does it get any better than that?

Photo by: Chris Lang/Iam Rehpotsirk Photography

Blachford’s “Hot Tub Top Tips”

1. By night, watch the stars and Northern Lights dance right above your head.
2. By day, appreciate the beauty of the sparkling snow and stunning wilderness surrounding you.
3. Sip your favourite beverage – hot or cold, hard or soft – while luxuriating in the swirling hot water.
4. Meet new friends.
5. Admire your companions’ unique new style, as steam freezes their hair and eyelashes in weird and wonderful shapes.

Photo by: Martina Geboavski

Warning! Keep track of your shoes!
One of our guests was so excited when she first used the tub, she forgot when she had put her flip flops. By the time she realized they were the lumps frozen to her towel, her feet had begun to freeze to the deck (fortunately, no harm done!).