Arctic char

Sea-run fish are silver with a blue-green back and small pale pink spots; spawning males turn brilliant orange-red underneath, with white edges on the lower fins.

4–10 lb.

About 3 ft and over 30 lb; the world record came from the Tree River in Nunavut.

Cisco, smelt, sculpins, whitefish, insects and freshwater shrimp.

Lives in big, cold, clear lakes; near the surface right after ice-out, then follows the cold water deep in summer.

Found from Yukon, NWT & Nunavut, Hudson Bay & Labrador and Quebec. Arctic rivers, lakes and coasts: the Tree River and Victoria Island in Nunavut, Ungava Bay in Nunavik, and northern Labrador. Sea-run fish feed in the ocean in summer and return to the rivers in August.

Arctic rivers, lakes and coasts: the Tree River and Victoria Island in Nunavut, Ungava Bay in Nunavik, and northern Labrador. Sea-run fish feed in the ocean in summer and return to the rivers in August.

2–15 ft in rivers and river mouths.

Surface to 20 ft after ice-out; 40–150 ft in summer.

Right after ice-out (shallow), late summer (deep), and through the ice in winter.

Any time of day; morning is best in shallow water.

No tide.

Calm days for jigging deep water; cold, windy days in spring keep fish shallow.

Rarely used.

Small spoons and spinners (pink, orange, silver), and streamers and egg flies.

7 ft medium spinning or casting rod; downriggers or lead-core line for trolling deep.

Spoons and tube jigs with single or treble hooks; small hooks for whitefish.

10–20 lb braid or mono.

10–15 lb fluorocarbon.

Cast small spoons or swing streamers through river pools and the mouths where char gather before going upriver in late summer.

Fresh sea-run char hit hard and jump like salmon. Bring a 6- or 7-weight rod and plenty of small pink and orange spoons.

Catch and release: wet your hands, keep the fish in the water when you can, and release it quickly. Use circle hooks and a dehooker.

Excellent eating — one of the best-tasting fish in its range.

Bleed and ice it right away. Fillet, then remove the skin and any dark bloodline.

Pink-red, rich and delicate, somewhere between trout and salmon; excellent grilled, smoked or dried.

Cold water kills fast — wear a life jacket on big northern lakes, and test ice before you walk on it.

Nearly all Arctic char fishing is remote, done with licensed lodges or outfitters, and many waters are catch-and-release or one fish per day. Char are also an important food fish for Inuit communities. Licenses, limits and seasons are set by each province, territory or state, and many lakes and rivers have special size limits, slot limits or closed spawning seasons — check the current regulations for the water you fish.

Keep only what you'll eat, release the rest quickly, and follow size and bag limits.