Fall in love with ice fishing: Yellowknife Sportfishing Adventures

Check out the video here 

To Andrew Moore, there’s no better way to spend a winter day than getting out on one of the innumerable frozen lakes near Yellowknife and dropping a line through a few feet of ice to jig for world-class sized fish. And when you spend a day with Moore, the owner and operator of Yellowknife Sportfishing Adventures, you start to see why that is. “When guests come out here, they understand why I enjoy doing this,” he says. “It’s so relaxing. Inside an insulated heated tent, with the ice fishing holes already drilled and ready for fishing, a warm coffee, what could be better….this is great.” 

Yellowknife Sportfishing Adventures provides comfortable four- to eight-hour ice fishing trips on a number of lakes in the Yellowknife area. Moore will also work with guests to customize trips to different lakes within reach of the city.  These anglers can pick what species they are angling for like Burbot, Trout, Walleye or feisty Northern Pike.

On a sunny day in early December, Moore picked up a family of four in his heated side-by-side vehicle and drove them out to a spot on Kam Lake where the fish are always biting. It was the family’s first time ice fishing together. “We pick them up in our warm side-by-side , bring them out to the tents that are already set up and ready to go, give them their rods and we get fishing right away,” he says. In no time, the young kids have taken the rods from their parents, and they’re landing hungry Northern Pike. “It’s a great introduction for the young kids. Hopefully they enjoy it and it’s something they’re going to want to keep doing.”

Moore makes sure the trips cater to the skill and comfort level of his clientele. Guests don’t have to bring or set up any equipment – all they have to concern themselves with is the fun part of catching fish. Moore offers adventures for families with young children, couples, seniors and even for those groups of expert anglers; he will bring out tourists visiting Yellowknife or residents who don’t have the gear or know-how to enjoy a day of ice fishing for themselves.

“A lot of times, people are living here for a year or two and they’re not experiencing what this area has to offer,” says Moore. “So booking me for a half-day or a full-day is a great way to see if ice fishing is actually something for you.”

For plenty of Moore’s guests, it is. “In many cases, people are like, ‘This is fun, we’re going to get our own ice fishing gear.” 

That puts a smile on Moore’s face, because it’s the reason he dreamed of providing these authentic Northern experiences in the first place. "I’m happy about that because I’m introducing someone to the sport of ice fishing, introducing something they can do with their family and friends, have a good time and enjoy the outdoors.” It's a fantastic way to have a staycation right here in Yellowknife.

Check out the video here to get a preview of what a day with Yellowknife Sportfishing Adventures is like.