How to Catch Them

LAKE TROUT

A beautiful fish. We manage this one carefully because it’s popular with anglers and reproduces extremely slowly in northern waters. Look for lake trout in mid-to large-size lakes. They’re easiest to catch in the two to three week period after ice out, which can occur anytime from early May to early June. During this period you can try large silver spoons, minnow-like wrigglers and wobblers, large spinners, surface plugs, and even large dry flies. When the lakes turn over in early July and the trout go deep, it’s time to switch to jigs and buzz bombs – pull them up, then let them settle. Or you can try trolling with lead weights or a downrigger setup. Yukon anglers
usually release big lake trout because they’re more valuable as spawners than as wall mounts.

ARCTIC GRAYLING

Our classic Yukon fish with the colourful oversize dorsal fin. Found in almost every lake and stream, grayling average about 0.5 kg (1 lb.) in weight but can reach up to 1.5 kg (3.5 lbs). Look for them in pools, eddies, and below riffles in creeks and rivers. In lakes, look for them at the outlet or near the mouths of streams entering the lake. Small spinners are commonly used to catch this fish; small spoons as well. It’s a great fish to take on ultra light gear or with a fly rod. This is also a great fish for kids and those just learning how to fish. On small creeks you can tie a fly on light spincasting gear, hang your rod tip over the water and drop the fly. On large rivers
you can drift fish for grayling bouncing tiny jigs off the bottom. Just about anywhere, you can use the fly and bobber setup described elsewhere in this brochure.

NORTHERN PIKE

Watch your fingers. This fish has a mean set of teeth and can weigh up to 10 kg (22 lbs.) or more. It’s fairly easy to catch, exciting on the line and makes a great meal when taken in cold northern waters. You’ll find it in small shallow lakes, shallow bays in large lakes and in the sloughs and backwaters of large rivers, from ice-out until the fall. Pike are commonly fished with medium-to large-size spoons and spinners. But many local anglers are now fishing pike with surface flies, plugs and other topwater lures, which bring the pike out of the water as they take the bait. Pow!
Try casting around the edge of a weed bed and hang on to your rod.

WHITEFISH

Whitefish are the most common fish in the North. There are two types of whitefish of interest to anglers: broad whitefish and lake whitefish, or humpies. Average weight is about 1 kg (2lbs.) for both types, but fish in the 1.5-3 kg (3.5-7 lbs.) range are not uncommon. Whitefish have always been an important part of the Yukon First Nation diet. Anglers have recently discovered its fine flavour and surprising excitement on the line. Watch for fins breaking the water as whitefish school-up. In lakes, angle in shallow water throughout the summer. In streams, fish at the mouths of tributaries and below rapids. Small gold spoons and spinners work well. When they’re
feeding on bottom you can reach them with small jigs (1/32 or 1/64 oz.) or deep flies. This fish has a soft mouth so set your hook gently.

DOLLY VARDEN

This good looking fish is found in two areas of the Yukon: the Tatshenshini River drainage in the southwest and the Peel River drainage in the far North. Dempster Highway travelers can fish Dollies in the Ogilvie and Blackstone Rivers anytime. Haines road travelers can fish Dollies in the
Tatshenshini River and its tributaries. But many Yukon anglers drive past the Tatshenshini and cross the border to fish Dollies in the rivers near Haines, Alaska, a three hour drive from Haines Junction, Yukon. Good Dolly fishing begins in early July and runs through to late October on both sides of the border. They’re feeding on salmon eggs at this time so roe or imitation roe is the bait to use. Put it on a snell hook with a bobber and let the stream carry it. A pixie spoon with its bright orange centre is another
good choice. Dollies can reach up to 1.5 kg (3 lbs.) in weight.

BULL TROUT

For decades, bull trout in the Yukon were thought to be Dolly Varden. Bull trout have a larger flattened head than Dollies but don’t have black spots on their dorsal fins. An attractive, aggressive fish, the bull trout is found
in the Liard River drainage in the southeast Yukon, in lakes as well as rivers. In rivers, look for it above and below rapids, in holes, and at the mouths of tributary streams. In lakes, look for it near inlets, outlets and narrow spots. Bull trout will take medium-size spinners and spoons as well as flies. Shallow trolling also works well in lakes. Bull trout average about 1
kg (2 lbs.) in weight but can reach up to about 3 kg (7 lbs.).

RAINBOW TROUT

One of the world’s most popular game fish, wild populations of rainbow trout are found only in the Kathleen and Aishihik river systems in the Haines Junction area. In McIntyre Creek and McLean Lakes near Whitehorse, stocked rainbows have evolved into naturally reproducing populations. Only the rainbows from McIntyre Creek, and stocked rainbows found in pothole lakes near many Yukon communities, may be harvested. Small spinners are effective for Rainbows and so are traditional trout flies. Flies imitating leeches are a good bet as well. In stocked lakes, powerbait is very popular with local anglers. In spring, cast your lure onto the ice then drag it off into the water. Shallow trolling behind a canoe can also be effective. Fishing from shore works just as well in most of our stocked lakes.

BURBOT

It’s not much for looks or performance, but you’d have a hard time beating it on the plate. Sometimes called freshwater (ling) cod, this fish attacks artificial lures only during the spawning period in March and April. That’s
when some local anglers go ice fishing for burbot with jigs and spoons. Burbot feed on bottom at night. In winter, you can get a free set line permit from Environment Yukon, bait a hook with a piece of meat or fish, leave it on the bottom overnight, and pick up your homely but tasty meal the next day. You can drop a baited hook on bottom in the summer as well, but you can’t leave your line unattended. It’s a little difficult to skin this unusual fish with a knife. After killing it quickly and humanely, you can pull the skin off with a pair of pliers. Boil the meat in salted water, or fry it in garlic butter for a taste comparable to lobster.

INCONNU

Inconnu means “unknown” in French. And that’s what this fish is. Few people have seen an Inconnu. We don’t know much about its habits but it’s related to the whitefish. Its flesh is oily so it’s not the best table fish, but it’s scrappy on the end of a line and it’s big – up to 10 kg (22 lbs.). It’s found in the Yukon and Peel River drainages and it’s a bottom feeder.
The few local anglers who pursue Inconnu usually fish big rivers such as the Yukon and the Teslin, at the mouths of tributary streams and in back eddies. Inconnu are sometimes fished with gold and silver spoons about 4 cm (1 1/2 in.) long. Others drift fish with rubber tailed jigs. Inconnu are easier to find when the rivers are low in August or September. If you plan to release this fish, handle it very gently as its scales come off easily.

SALMON

Four types of salmon enter the Tatshenshini and Yukon River systems in late summer and early fall: Chinook, Coho, Sockeye and Chum. Salmon fishing requires special gear including a heavy rod and reel. This fishery has detailed seasonal closures, and short-notice closures can occur anytime if the runs are lower than expected. For more information about salmon, contact Fisheries and Oceans, Canada (DFO)
in Whitehorse at (867) 393-6722 or 1-866-676-6722.