When Kildéric Moroy promises to take me to an ice-fishing spot in a six-seat snowmobile, I can’t visualize what he means. The sleek black beast he pulls up in is actually a side-by-side, a type of off-road vehicle that has four-season tracks instead of wheels.

I’ve trudged to ice holes, been driven to them in in circa 1970 Bombardiers, battered pickup trucks and actual snowmobiles, but this is the first time I’ve travelled in something so stylish and comfortable. As any angler knows, after all, it’s not just about the fish — it’s about the whole experience.

Moroy is from France and this is his first season guiding with Up North Adventures in Whitehorse. It’s his job to make it easy for first-time ice anglers, so I get picked up at my hotel, driven to nearby Fish Lake, loaned serious winter gear and then transported to a cabin close to shore.

It’s a beauty day, so we fish outside. Moroy gives me a folding chair as he preps my rod to chase lake trout in five metres of water, baits my barbless hooks with dead smelt and warms the cabin just in case. “We get lots of first-time fishermen, mostly for the Yukon winter experience,” he explains. “For the first few bites, the fish will bump the bait with their nose just to test if it’s worth the energy. After a few times, they will actually bite the bait. You may keep one fish, but most people let them go.”

I lose some bait to those subtle nibbles, but I’m happy chatting and enjoying the sun, epic scenery and dog sledders that pass by, so I leave content.