I am planning a trip to Kugluktuk from September 3 to September 10 for some Arctic Char fishing. While First Air has a scheduled flight it will cost about $2300 for two of us and that is with a very limited baggage allowance of 260 lbs.

So....... I am wondering if anyone is interested in a charter from YK to Kugluktuk, (and back a week later) in a C180/185 or something with a similar useful load.

Distance is roughly 600km, we can be flexible on the dates, weight of my buddy and myself is 400lb, and we would like to bring in and out luggage of another 300 - 400 lbs. CFS says 100LL is available at the airport.

Contacts in Kugluktuk, as well as advice and suggestions also appreciated.

TIA
LF

Check with Wolverine Air or Simpson Air in Fort Simpson. They both operate 206's on wheels, and each has a cessna on floats if you wanted to go that way.

There is no cheap way of doing it - so take a scheduled flight that is more comfortable and reliable and hope you hit it when the char are running - the boat trip alone to Bloody Falls will be worth it even if you miss the run.

Thinkin' you're a bit heavy for a 180. Fort Simpson option adds only 80 miles each way to the actual flight but in reality 320 miles total which will get expensive over an option out of Yellowknife plus the extra driving to get there. I think that you will find the $2300.00 return on commercial being pretty reasonable. Fuel alone for a 185 / 206 is going to be near that cost to do this charter and you might end up stuck in town waiting for weather for days. Tindi might be able to quote on the charter but with a commercial flight you will more than likely be able to travel on the dates you choose or close to them and in relative comfort. What are you taking with you that will weigh 300 - 400 pounds?.

On those dates Canadian North will save you 10% on your mentioned ticket price and allow 360 lbs baggage for two of you.

Tindi in a 185, Arctic sunwest in the turbo beav. Not sure who else will be up there this summer with small floaters so it's hard to say. You may just be best getting to cambridge or kugluktuk via scheduled flight...

Check prices with Tindi for a Caravan(floats or wheels), it may come out cheaper than the 185 over that distance

Thanks guys/(gals?),
I suspected the scheduled flight was the best option but I figured I better ask just in case there were better options.

Bezerker, I will look into Canadian North, I had written them off because of expense/long way round but if I can get 360lbs of baggage, it becomes worth it.

I will also look into the Fort Simpson option, I had not even considered it.

Sheephunter, weight consists of 100-150 lbs of gear for two guys; coming out with a limit of 7 fish each (14 if we go catch some in the Territories) at 10lbs/fish is another 140lbs. Going in we figured we would take trade goods. Any suggestions as to what the best things to take are? Other than alcohol and drugs Vegetables, tobacco and chips are what we have considered so far.

Liquid Charlie, I hope the run is on, otherwise I will have trouble catching anything For the past 5 years they have been running during Labour Day weekend so chances are good. And Bloody Falls is definitely on the itinerary, we are thinking of taking quads and camping there.

Thanks once again
LF

LousyFisherman, hope you hit a home run and catch a boat load.... then you might consider changing your name. Can't wait to see the photos. Nothing more fun than hooking into one of those char in fast water. Never fished the Coppermine but it is one the hit list. Take some fresh limes & kikkoman, wasabi and pickled ginger & rice crackers. What a treat. The kids like choc. bars and pop. Chips will bulk you out. You might be able to mail some of this stuff up there prior.

Diapers and pop are always a hit... When I was there 5 years or so ago, they were trying to get the clothes of my back, i always wanted to get a Kug Fire & Rescue shirt, never happened....

bezerker wrote:

On those dates Canadian North will save you 10% on your mentioned ticket price and allow 360 lbs baggage for two of you.

Both First Air and Canadian North are exactly $1050 for travel Sept 3 - 10 from CYZF to CYCO (as of 3 minutes ago anyway ). Unless Canadian North has a seat sale on now, both charge the exact same price.

So, this year we finally made it. 4 days from September 2 through the 6th We thoroughly enjoyed the town, however, the char run we were hoping to hit was late so the fishing was not the best. My buddy did catch a 11-12 pounder. Story and pictures at http://www.coolplaces.ca/index.pl/The-Way-to-Kugluktuk.

LF

Great write up and pictures. It's too bad that your experience with Canadian North ended up like that. The same qualities that allow people to thrive in Northern Canada such as self reliance and independence can also sometimes hinder them in things like customer service and communication.

Thanks Rudy, however, the problem with Can North was with the office boys and girls in Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg. Maybe they need some of the self-reliance found up north. Then maybe they would do their jobs instead of finding excuses not to.

LF

LF,

Curious if Ammie Iagonia was the one you hired to take you to Bloody Falls? I did the same thing about 10 years ago. Wondered if Ammie was still around.
Thanks,
Mike

I wish I had found this thread a long time ago - perhaps I could have been of some help.

Aime passed away a couple of years ago.

There are a lot of char in the Coppermine River but they are always challenging to catch by angling. Anytime between the third week of August and the middle of September can be good but the exact peak is variable.

For anyone interested, we have 100LL and 91 Octane Mogas here, available from the Co-Op. The prices are very reasonable ($1.90/litre and $1.10/litre respectively). Avgas is in sealed drums, time expired but perfectly good. I have 20W50, 80 and 100 oil.

Just 375 miles north of Yellowknife, so we are the closest Nunavut community to the rest of western Canada.

Larry (C-GAMW and C-INUK)
Kugluktuk