I spent the last 3 days in a little town called Inuvik which is almost on the Arctic Ocean.  Actually, I was able to do a little fishing on the “Delta” which is formed when the McKenzie River enters the Arctic Ocean. Although we were technically fishing for northern pike I was hoping to land the infamous Inconnu.  For those of you that aren’t too sure what an Inconnu is then I suggest you keep reading.  You know what, even if you do know what they are I still suggest you continue reading!

The Inconnu is the largest member of the Whitefish family and in North America will typically grow to about 1 meter long (3′). The Inconnu found in Siberia are much larger and can weigh up to 45 kg (100 lbs).  You may know these fish by their other names including Coney, Sheefish or even Connie.  So what do these large Coney’s look like? Well they are bright silvery fish with green to pale brown backs.  They tend to have a long tapering body and a wide head with a lower jaw that sticks out further than their upper jaw.  This lower jaw contains tiny, densely packed teeth which actually feels like velvet to touch.  How cool would it be to have velvet teeth? They use these teeth to feed on other fish such as whitefish (eating their own family members….ewww), sticklebacks, burbot and of course insects and shrimp.

Inconnu will generally become mature between 7 and 10 years of age which is older than most fish species.  Some populations of Coney will make long migrations to over-wintering and feeding areas.  Incredibly they have been known to migrate up to 1600 km (994 miles).  That is one long road trip, in fact it is almost equivalent to driving from Toronto, Ontario to Halifax, Nova Scotia. This will put their migration distances into perspective for my Canadian readers.

Although I didn’t manage to catch an Inconnu this weekend I had fun trying and it gave me an idea for a Wild Fact so I think it was a successful fishing trip.

Have a great day!