Chasing ancient char in wild Greenland

Located right on the Arctic Circle in West Greenland, Sassannguit river had the promise of char fishing in exactly the pristine unspoiled wilderness I was hoping for.

Living where I do in the North of Scotland I am fortunate enough to be able to easily visit and enjoy some of the finest wilderness places on offer in the rugged and beautiful country; from far flung mountains and moors, to glacier formed lakes (lochs) and streams. Wandering these with a fly rod in search of the wild trout, sometimes salmon and very occasionally (rare) opportunities to fish for the age old Arctic Char that are ‘landlocked’ in the deepest of our lakes.

It’s in the wild places of home I grew to appreciate the beauty and wonder that surround us. It ignites a desire to explore and research these lonely places beyond the shores of my home country. I long to visit, explore and experience some of the other northern, rugged, beautiful and pristine places that shared a similar fate in their most recent formation at the hands of the now retreating ice.

The choice is pretty extensive, but one place amongst all others stood out and became somewhere I simply had to visit and experience; Greenland.

And how perfect it was to be that “Visit Greenland” were seeking someone to do just this, visit and promote a new local Greenlandic company by the name of West Greenland Wildlife, owned and operated by Leif Fontaine. He was in the very early process of opening up the small river that lies in his family hunting ground at Sassannguit.

Located right on the Arctic Circle in West Greenland, Sassannguit river had the promise of char fishing in exactly the pristine unspoiled wilderness I was hoping for. But first I had to get there.

Travel to Greenland

Heading to Greenland is actually very straightforward and very easy, first up you travel to the Danish Capital Copenhagen, then onwards to Greenland’s main airport, Kangerlussuaq in west Greenland. From here it was a short wait and then a hop onto a smaller turbo-prop Dash-8 aircraft. After a half hour flight north to Sisimiut I was greeted by Leif and his lovely wife Agathe.

Sisimiut

Old Church and Whale Jaw Bones. Photo by Allan Liddle

We were not due to depart for Sassannguit until the next morning, so this gave me the opportunity to explore and take in the historical parts of Sisimiut’s old centre as well as be impressed by the modern side of this colourful town.

Sisimiut is Greenland’s second biggest town after the capital Nuuk and I must admit I wasn’t expecting to find such a dynamic place; especially as the largest ‘city’ within the Arctic Circle has only approximately 6,000 inhabitants.

Formerly known by its colonial Dutch name of Holsteinsborg it has been a settlement for circa 4,500 years initially by Inuit people, although the modern population of Greenlanders is a mix of Inuit and Danes who first settled here around the mid 1720’s. Essentially these early settlers came here to establish whale-hunting centres and Sisimiut was perfect for this given the fact the harbour can be relatively ice free for longer periods than other areas around this part of Greenland.

Adrenalin Rush (Part 1)

Leif owns and operates a medium sized open boat and given the lack of roads in Greenland, it’s typical of the main mode of transport favoured for summer amongst the Greenlandic people. I might add, however, that Leif’s boat has rather large outboards and as such it travels pretty fast. Couple this with his intimate knowledge of the shoreline and his ability to safely pick out the quickest lines through the myriad of small rocky islands that are strewn along the Greenlandic shore added to ensure I was in for a bit of an exciting trip.

Powering our way through tight gaps in the water felt akin to being part of a high-speed boat section of a James Bond movie, and to do this in such a pristine wilderness under blue sunny Greenlandic summer skies and the ever present dramatic Greenland backdrop simply made the boat journey completely fascinating. It felt like no time had passed when we pulled into the Sassannguit Bay, where Leif could point out his cabin and char fishing grounds that were to be our home for the next three nights.

Peace and Tranquillity

Simplt Perfect, Peace and Tranquility. Photo by Allan Liddle.

As soon as the engine was cut and we moored at the camp, the peace and the tranquillity of this place became instantly obvious. All hands were required to help unload the boat of supplies, unpack and settle in before a fly could be cast, but this was in no way a chore or something that needed to be endured. It was just added to the adventure and the anticipation I felt about making my first casts at this ancient gamefish.

Home for me was to be a large ‘bell-tent’ complete with camp bed and furs if I wanted them. There was a small paraffin heater to ensure I didn’t get cold and more than enough room for me to spread all my equipment and even be able to dry out waders and jackets if needed. I will say that sleeping here in early August under a sky that simply didn’t go any darker than the evening light, in complete silence and pure air, rates amongst some of the most enjoyable and relaxing nights I’ve ever enjoyed.

Adrenalin Rush (Part2)

But I was here to hunt and chase the Arctic Char of the Sassannguit River and it was with hand-trembling excitement that I headed to the closest pools and char holding areas with Leif. To say that I was very keen to try for these fish that shone through the crystal clear waters is something of an understatement.

A few ‘casts’ in, and the water in front ‘exploded’ in a torrent of spray and foam as a stunning, and large angry Arctic Char tore off attached to my fly into the fast white water of the river, reel screaming as it tore line with me in as best pursuit as I could muster. This is what I came for, adrenalin rush part two, heart thumping action that was testing both my nerve and my fishing equipment in search of what really was a powerful and somewhat angry fish. It was determined to show me that I was in his world and he was in charge.

But after a few heart stopping moments and several minutes the fish came to hand, silver belly and overall silver sheen, olive coloured back and light pink spots, fresh from the sea and totally perfect in every way. Yes there were many other fish that day, yes there were bigger ones, yes the fishing was simply fantastic, but I will always remember this one most, my first Sassannguit fish and my first ‘proper’ Greenlandic Arctic Char.

Exploration

Day two at the camp was another glorious sunny day and it was also the one we had chosen to head upstream towards the first of the two large lakes found a few kilometres from the camp and where Leif wanted to show me what he feels is amongst the best of the fishing.

Continues further down the pages…