Long Gone to the YUKON... this Summer (with pics)

[dave99]

Hi everyone, I'm planning a road trip to the Yukon this summer for a two week vacation. I've always been drawn to the North, but aside from a fly-in fishing trip to Andrew Lake a decade ago, have never made it North of 60.

Here's the deal: I will be taking off from central Alberta in mid-July, and driving the Alaska Highway through GP, Fort Nelson, Watson Lake... to Whitehorse and beyond. I'll be packing all my camping gear, several rods (both fly and spin casting), my trusty Metzeler inflatable canoe, bear spray, bug spray, backpacks, hiking boots, etc.

My hope is to get into some fishing (grayling, pike, trout... pretty much anything!) and hiking adventures along the way. Since I've never been up North, I was hoping that you fellas could give me some ideas on places to go that could be within my reach. I will be up there for a couple of weeks, and really am up for anything as long as it's reasonably accessible by car, foot, or canoe. I'm pumped to check out this unique part of Canada, and will probably be heading North of Whitehorse to the Dempster Hwy as well.

Here are a few pics of some fishing adventures in the past year to set the tone. Feel free to post stories/suggestions/pics of anything to do with Yukon or the Alaska Hwy!

Getting a fly wet in Headwall Lakes



Spearfishing Adventures





Wabamun = BIG Pike





Walleye on the Fly



Thanks for looking, and feel free to add any pics/stories that you have!

Tight lines,
Dave99

[horsetrader]

Great pics ..Congrates and good luck on your trip.

[Albertadiver]

I'd love to do something exactly like this as well. Will be following this thread.

[Albertafisher]

I would recommend to try fishing for inconnu (Sheefish). They are quite the fighters. I've never caught one, but I've heard so much about them. Most big lakes up there hold them..

[TyreeUM]

oh man, i would kill to catch a freshwater tarpon on a flyrod...bring your 10 wt!!!

[timsesink]

I love to fish by canoe as well, good to see fellow canoe/wilderness fisherman. Have a great time! As for ideas I have none as I've never been....yet

[dave99]

Originally Posted by TyreeUM

oh man, i would kill to catch a freshwater tarpon on a flyrod...bring your 10 wt!!!

Tyree: Are inconnu what you're calling "freshwater tarpon"? According to the Yukon fishing regs they look a heck of a lot like them, except that their weight range is 2-5kg instead of 20-150kg! Apparently they are one of Yukon's many species of whitefish.

[TUFFBUFF]

Your gonna run outta time, you'll need six weeks! Sure enough excuse to go back though.
If you want to fish and hike you may not even make it to Watson Lake as it starts getting pretty good after Fort Nelson, lots of creeks and rivers to explore.
Smith Falls, Rancheria River are a couple good stops, as well as some hikes at Summit for scenery.

You'll have a blast

[pickrel pat]

Originally Posted by dave99

Tyree: Are inconnu what you're calling "freshwater tarpon"? According to the Yukon fishing regs they look a heck of a lot like them, except that their weight range is 2-5kg instead of 20-150kg! Apparently they are one of Yukon's many species of whitefish.

they get bigger than that in the mckenzie river by ft. providence.

[C Taylor]

take the time to check out any of the little off the road museums, well worth the $5.00.If you get going up the Dempster its hard not to catch grayling almost every cast. Take your time lots of road signs for points of interest,you'll have a great holiday.

[TyreeUM]

Originally Posted by dave99

Tyree: Are inconnu what you're calling "freshwater tarpon"? According to the Yukon fishing regs they look a heck of a lot like them, except that their weight range is 2-5kg instead of 20-150kg! Apparently they are one of Yukon's many species of whitefish.

Yes - the same fish (sheefish, iconnu, conni, freshwater tarpon, etc.) There are plenty of 40 pounders to be had...I am pretty sure they catch them up to 60 pounds or so in Alaska too...

[liar]

two years ago we took two weeks and only got about two hours past watson lake . you may need more time . if you plan to fish in northern bc get a license before you head out . we tried but could not get them when we wanted to fish munso lake (very nice lake , good lake trout ) and in the liard hot spring area . not like here where you can buy them at most sportshops and gas stations . we stopped in and chatted with the f&w officers in watson and they were very helpful . gave us some tips and pointed us in the right direction to get started .

you will have fun , but to go as far as you plan you may need more time , there is so much to see !

[Speckle55]

Inconnu is a huge white fish and the WR Books list it at 53 lbs caught by Lawrence Hudnall from the Pah River Alaska .. but he is the Man and has many line class WR from the Kobuk River .. in both IGFA and NFWFHF record books.. lots in the 25 lb to 38 lb range .. it is in the Mackenzie river system too.. like's the river but will be is some river lakes..David

btw nice Pictures and have a great time .. take your bear spray.. and check in every few days if by self ..just prudent..all us anglers careInconnu.jpg

[-JR-]

There is a campground just as you cross a boarder ,sounds like cars cars ?
Good fish in that creek.

[Rockymtnx]

I don't have much to add to your up coming trip, but just wanted to say great pics. Some dandy fish and good memories there.

[steve]

Don't have any advice as this will be my first summer in the yukon as well.

Great pics, spearfishing perch would be a blast.

Good luck

[dave99]

Thanks for the comments guys! That pic of the inconnu looks just like a tarpon!

[Alberta Bigbore]

Nice pics... the perch spearfishing pics sure bring back some memories. I gave up spearfishing when they stopped allowing pike on the menu... same as bow fishing

[Fishgut]

Do a search for stocked lakes in the Yukon, we fished Veronica Lake about 5 years ago. It is on the side of the hwy. we were catching rainbows to about six pounds and char were 4-5 pounds. We were ice fishing that time and believe me, in Alberta we don't know what an extension is. ( ice was 5.5 feet thick with 3 feet of snow) I know you will enjoy the fishing up there as we have gone 6 times since the early 90s. Have a buddy who cooked up there at Rancheria then at Swift River till they closed. He took us to lakes that unless you are a Yukonite you'll never hear about. Buddy and I fished 38 hours straight in June one year

PS: 2 weeks, 3 weeks even 1 month (not long enough) I could have stayed all summer if not for other commitments ....wife ....kids ....work.

[turbo mulcher]

Dave99, I've toured through the Yukon and Alaska a bit and northern BC. Canoed parts of the Yukon River a couple of times, fish in every creek If you travel home take the HWY 37 south of Watson and I can give you a few spots to stop. Also the pinks at Valdez are fun. pm me for some spots.

[Jwood 456]

Originally Posted by Speckle55

Inconnu is a huge white fish and the WR Books list it at 53 lbs caught by Lawrence Hudnall from the Pah River Alaska .. but he is the Man and has many line class WR from the Kobuk River .. in both IGFA and NFWFHF record books.. lots in the 25 lb to 38 lb range .. it is in the Mackenzie river system too.. like's the river but will be is some river lakes..David

btw nice Pictures and have a great time .. take your bear spray.. and check in every few days if by self ..just prudent..all us anglers careAttachment 35134

Wow now those are some massive whitefish! I betcha those things don't get pulled in whithout a crazy fight!

[Jwood 456]

I have had some fair expereinece with fishing up in the Yukon. When you head up near Whitehorse, there is this tackle shop that sells flys that are absolutley deadly for graying. As for lakes in that area, there are many small lakes there loaded with rainbows and grayling. All the fish in the lakes seemed tiny though. I also hear that lots of the lakes around there hold lake trout in them. With the cooler climate in the Yukon, I don't think the lakers go any deeper than 15 to 40FOW. Also, I notice the lakes up there dont seem to produce as good as the rivers though. For fishing the whitehorse river, fish just downstream of town where there will be this large weed bed that holds some pretty good sized pike. As for grayling fishing in the streams, look for the typical deep pit fish holding structure. On the way to Whitehorse too, you should stop by Teslin for a day or a night and fish the teslin river right by the highway bridge and resort. The Arctic grayling action can simply be non stop and the best success at catching them was on a 1'' acme silver cast master spoon being trolled downstream and I believe less productivle up stream.

As for fishing the Dawson City area, I'll send a PM.

If you head up the Haines Junction, there is this one mainly shallow lake north of there where there almost the whole lake is 3ft deep exept for a 20ft pit where a creek runs in. The pit is full of all differnent types of small trout that suspend around the edge, while there are some huge dolly varden, or lake trout or Arctic char that sit on the bottom in the pit that will take minnows and even chase rattlin Rapalas. Theres also this lake named Agassi lake north of Haines Junction that apparetnly has awesome lake trout fishing as well.

For if you fish Kluane lake, that lake is well known for producing massive lakers. The lake's name is even the First Nation's name for "Big Fish Lake". Towards the south end of the lake, there is a campground and just further south, there is a boat launch. When fishing for lakers, fish right off of the boat launch. There is a massive sand shoal that comes right out off of the boat launch. If the locals try to tell you to fish 50ft of water, they are proabably lying. I fished 50Fow there and no fish showed up on the sonar and for such a cold lake and cool climate, it would be weird for the fish to go very deep. When I fished the shoal off of the boat launch in 30Fow, sure enough big fish shapes showed up on my sonar and I also pulled up some weeds that would be full of bugs and minnows for the lakers to eat. I had only a few years fishing experience at the time and was using the wrong lures as well, so empty handed I went. Now that I have more experience, I would try a large gold/silver williams wobbler spoon, a halfwave spoon a large cast master, large white tube jigs and a pumpkin seed coloured tube jigs in 15 to 40FOW.

Hope this info helps. BTW hope you have a succesful time fishing the Yukon.

[Jwood 456]

This link goes to the thread that has my story of fishing in the Yukon and Alaska 2004.

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showt...ighlight=yukon