Wishin' I Was Fishin' - A Tale of SUP Fishing The North

Written for iROCKER SUP in 2021

Summer in northern Canada is short and sweet. As the sun wanders to the uppermost latitudes, the days lengthen and the snow gives way to lush and vibrant wilderness, bustling with life hastened to exploit the fleeting respite from winter. The further north you go, the longer the days become, eventually reaching 24 hours of daylight north of the arctic circle. Many of us northerners also bustle with the energy of summer – making use of the long, hot days to recreate in the theatre of the outdoors and indulge in mother nature’s brief and generous solace.

For myself, the summer represents an opportunity to explore, and to access environments more commonly made grievous by the cold and snow. The mountains become genial instead of defiant, the skies bright and cheerful instead of grey and dreary, and the lakes and rivers open and welcoming, no longer hidden beneath shields of ice. As commercial pilots, both my brother and I get to enjoy this seasonal transition from the air across the northern latitudes. Our clients, whom typically travel primarily for business, begin to travel more for recreation and adventure, and the destinations typically become more thrilling, and more remote as the summer blossoms.

If we’re lucky, we get to fly together, and spend a few days laid-over in wild places. We’re both avid fishermen, and if the payload can accommodate we’ll throw our paddleboards and fishing rods into the plane. Being light, portable, and versatile, our paddleboards have become favorite gear. We have a Blackfin, for fishing and hauling gear across the water, a Nautical, for lightweight portability into trekking locations, and an iROCKER All-Around, for a nice compromise between the two. The boards come with us whenever and wherever we can take them, and when we’re not flying, I always have a board packed away in the trunk of my car just in case I have an inkling to hit the water!

This summer, the boards have flown with us to lakes in northern Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, as well as to mountain destinations in the Rockies and on the western coast. In the Canadian Shield (a region of Canada so-named for it’s solid, rocky terrain and scarce topsoil) the lakes are abundant with freshwater fish. Lake trout, walleye, and northern pike are species sought after by anglers, and the serene waters they reside in are often irresistible paddling prospects. Thus, the combination of paddle boarding, and fishing for freshwater giants was perhaps an inevitable occurance.

On Lac La Ronge, amidst the stunted pines of northern Saskatchewan, I first pitted the Blackfin X against the mighty northern pike. Typical specimens range from 15-30” and 3-7lbs, but pike upwards of 40” and 25lbs are regularly caught here as well. The Blackfin made for the perfect tool to cruise silently into sheltered, calm bays, to sight cast for big pike resting amidst the reeds on the shallow mud bottom. With the reel drag set tight, hooking into a big pike is the equivalent of strapping a trolling motor onto your paddleboard. But with the drag loosened off slightly, and large, single barbless hooks, I was able to catch and release, a number of 20-30” fish without too much trouble. The wind proved to be the only limiting factor, pushing the board into shore, and into the weeds, whenever I was too busy to paddle. For this sort of fishing, I would definitely recommend a rod holder, and ideally the iROCKER fishing rack, to make it easier to manage your gear when there’s a lot going on! On that note, a good quality dry bag is also essential, as a secure place to store your gear in case you end up going for an inadvertent swim! And don’t forget to get a mount for your camera in case you land a lunker!

Eventually, the sport of paddleboard fishing for pike elevated into fly-fishing… again with the Blackfin X providing a worthy platform. Fly fishing off of a paddleboard is a surreal experience, especially for fish that test the limits of your fishing gear! I’ve spent many hours fly-fishing for smaller trout in mountain lakes on the paddleboard, but hooking onto a pike on the fly is a completely different experience. Fly-casting is effortless on a paddleboard, with nothing to interfere with your movements, and nothing but water to inadvertently snag a fly. Additionally, the standing perspective gives you an excellent refractive angle to peer down into the water and sight fish as you stealthily cruise atop their carefully guarded domain. Landing larger fish, with so much going on, proved to be the most challenging phase, and for which I would recommend bringing along a net.

Paddleboard fishing the north is fast becoming a favorite activity of mine – for the challenge, for the excitement, and for the physicality. Although you cannot go as far, or as fast, on a paddleboard as you might in other craft, the sportiness of the endeavor is enticing and utterly unique. Like fly-fishing, the nature of the sport is rewarding in itself… paddling to and from the fishing grounds, either in silence, enjoying the tranquility of the moment, or with your favorite tunes blasting through a portable speaker to get you amped up for a legendary fight! You’re guaranteed to enjoy yourself, whether or not the bite is on. For myself, the Blackfin has earned a permanent spot on the fishing gear list, and I’ve got my fingers crossed for a long summer and many more northern fishing adventures to come!