Fish on Yukon

My blog has moved to WWW.FISHONYUKON.COM

2006-06-11T21:46:00.000-07:00

Check out my new blog at www.fishonyukon.com! I am still getting used to the new software and I have some work travel to Toronto that is keeping me out of water and away from the computer. I have some blogs lined up on: the Haines Fishing report, Lake Lebarge, Hidden Lakes, and Kathleen Lake.

Send me an email at my new address dennis@fishonyukon.com and I'll post your reports. Tight Lines!

McLean Lake Report from Dan @ www.flyfishingtheglobe.net

2006-06-07T07:19:00.000-07:00

Dan Cook is on his way floating and fishing the Yukon River in his dory. The Yukon is his first stop in his around the world adventure. Dan provides his own account and photos of his first fish at Yukon's McLean lake at http://www.flyfishingtheglobe.net/journal.htm.

You can keep up with Dan by signing up at his website. Good luck and we'll see you when you pass back through.

Cantlie Lake Report (from Andrew and Anthony)

2006-06-05T22:10:00.000-07:00

Firstly, let me introduce Urban Yukon. This is a collection of 23 of the most interesting Yukon blogs.

I just read Anthony (Memo from the North of 60 Desk) and Andrew's (A Stark Place) postings on a recent fishing and 4X4 trip into Cantlie Lake. They have some great pictures on their repsective blogs...just click the highlighted links above.

I am starting to feel for Andrew who has not caught his first fish of the year yet. Any guaranteed suggestions for him out there?

http://astarkplace.blogspot.com/2006/06/cantlie-lake-and-still-no-fish.html

http://blog.delorenzo.ca/memo/cantlie_lake_fishing_trip.html

Pumphouse Lake Clean-Up September 16, 2006...Be there!!!!

2006-06-04T22:52:00.000-07:00

If you have been following this blog you will remember that I have been in contact with the great staff at the TD Canada Trust Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-up initiative (see Old Crow School and the Agonizing Tangle of a Marsh Hawk AND Great Canadian Clean Up Thanks Fish On Yukon).

Due in large part to discussions with Philip Merchant (Yukon Dept. of Environment) and the people at the TD Canada Trust Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-up I have decided to become the site coordinator for the Pumphouse Lake Shore-line Clean Up September 16th, 2006. The Yukon's lakes and rivers have given me incredible fishing opportunities and it is time to give back. I hope you will join me on this day to clean-up the lake. This will be a very child-safe initiative so bring your kids. I plan on bringing my two and four year old to teach them how take care of our environment and fisheries. I have already spoken to a few corporate organizations and they are keen to help out. Let me know if you are interested or you can sign-on as a volunteer on-line at http://www.vanaqua.org/cleanup/. There are also a few other Yukon sites that you can clean-up.

I should also say that it has been a pleasure working with this national initiative, Philip Merchant and Yukon anglers. Philip made sure to mention that "the fellow that actually first saw the bird and brought it into me is Adam SKRUTKOWSKI . He really was the person in the field that recognized the problem, was interested enough to mention it to me, and then went back and recovered the dead bird".

The TD Canada Trust Great Canadian Shore-Line Clean-Up also wanted to thank the Fish On Yukon blog for getting the message out through a story on their front page and a copy of Chuck Tobin's Whitehorse Star story of the Marsh Hawk ( see "Local Heroes" http://www.vanaqua.org/cleanup/home.php. I'll keep you posted on this initiative.

New Fish On Yukon Logo and Website (soon)

2006-06-04T22:40:00.000-07:00

I am proud to show you the new logo for "Fish on Yukon". I also have a few other elements and about 6 colours that I am playing with. They were created by Rory at Terra Firma. I expect to prode some merchandise over the next couple of months (i.e. stickers, patches, t-shirts, sweatshirts, etc...). Let me know what you think.

I will also be live with www.fishonyukon.com in a matter of days. I want it be functional so I'll let you when it is ready.

McLean Lake Rainbow Report

2006-06-04T22:23:00.000-07:00

I took in McLean Lake this weekend with Dan Cook (see Fly Fishing Around the World) . What a night, took off after the kids went to bed and hit the water. A bit buggy but very warm. My fishing buddy Derek had already been there for two hours and was into about a half-dozen nice rainbow trolling bead head patterns in the shallows. Dan showed me all of his gear for the expedition...amazing. He is sponsored by Sage, Rio, and a few other big names. They set him up with rods, reels, gear and flies. His fly box was packed full of flies I have never seen or heard of. He showed me a reel as big as my head with 600 yards of backing that we was going to fly-fish for Marlin.

Dan, Sandor and I hit the water and immediately went to work. Dan did what any expert would do...dry fly a little mosquito pattern and he was "fish on". He had his first fish of the two year expedition at McLean lake. Dan caught a few more casting to shore with a nymph and reeling back in with a regular 18 inch stripping routine . I started my usual nymph trolling routine and for some reason switched to a dry fly. I don't know if I was star-struck and trying to keep up with the big guy, but I must have watched 15 rainbow ignore my dry fly. I went back to my regular routine and tolled the lake. I got into about five pesky little 7 inch rainbow and then finally a nice 18 inch rainbow near the end of our day. The conditions are great. You could see dozens of them at any time cruising the shore-line. I found them a bit choosy as to what worked but once on they gave a good fight. Dan commented on how he can tell that they have not been caught before. Many trout waters he has fished, there are too many anglers and the fish just give up and come in.

McLean is catch and release so nothing but good memories to bring home.

Wolf Creek Fry Release

2006-06-04T22:09:00.000-07:00

I took in the fantastic Wolf Creek Fry Release earlier today. What a great event sponsored by the Yukon Fish and Game Association since 1985. In addition to the incredible conservation messages, what a great way for kids to get there hands on some wriggly little fry and dump them into the Wolf Creek. The association did not even advertise this year and it was packed with little mini-conservationists. My two and four year olds have been going for as long as they could walk and they even had cake, hot chocolate and hot dogs.

Did you know that they released 150,000 fry today of which 0.02% survive. They individually cut off the adipose fin and tag each one of them.

Good work all YFGA volunteers!

Fly Fishing Around the World Starts in Whitehorse

2006-06-04T21:19:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to fish with Dan Cook, Adventurer and Fisherman. It was an honour to hook up with him at the very start of his two year journey fly-fishing around the world. He will be going to places like Kamchatka/Mongolia for Taimen, Australia and New Zealand for 400 pound black Marlin, Zambezi River for Tiger Fish, the Rio Negro for Peacock Bass, Honduras for Permit and Tarpon...it goes on and on....all on the fly.

He starts his trip Tuesday morning from Rotary Peace Park in the Yukon River floating and fly-fishing all the way to St. Marys Alaska. He will be taking his custom built whitewater expedition dory.

It was great to say that the first fish he caught on his trip was in McLean Lake for a beautiful Yukon Rainbow Trout. Check his website out www.flyfishingtheglobe.net. I am happy to say that he is a really nice guy as well.

Hidden Lakes Report from Andrew C.

2006-06-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

Fishing report from Andrew C.:

"Made a trip up to the hidden lakes Tuesday night! Beautiful weather and first time out in my belly boat so it was good times. Unfortunately the fishing wasn't as good as the rest of it. I managed to latch into 7 little rainbows, all being smaller then 12 inches.

I was using a small black bead head nymph and got all the action casting into shore and retrieving back out.
Good first trip, hopefully we can check out Mclean lake and I can catch somthign worth bringing home!"

Talk to you soon,
Andrew

Top Picks for Fishing Music?

2006-05-30T16:21:00.000-07:00

I was talking to a fishing buddy who commented that I sing alot of Johnny Cash when I fish. Any thoughts of the best fishing music? I am still sticking to Johnny Cash.

A Great Morning at Pumphouse Lake (thanks to Bruce)

2006-05-27T22:13:00.000-07:00

Thanks to your reports that the water was open, I decided to work the rust out at Pumphouse Lake yesterday morning...and it was fantastic.

It started out great when I met Bruce on shore. He had been fishing all morning and had a great time. What I liked most about Bruce was that he was an iconic Yukoner. A real class act. He was an older gentlemen and a buddy of Chuck Gregerson (used to do the fishing shows on CKRW and legendary caster). He came off the water and took the time to chat about his morning. As I prepared my gear he stood stoically against his old pick-up smoking a great smelling pipe. In a patient and calming way shared his insights on how to fish the lake that day...he shared his thoughts on where the fish were, how to fish them, and what to use. I jumped in the water and went to where he suggested, used the technique he suggested and used what he suggested.

Within 5 minutes I was into a beauty 19 inch Rainbow. The best part was that as I landed him into my net on my belly boat, he gave a supporting little honk as he drove off. He had watched me the entire time and shared in my effort. Bruce and I come from a different generation, but I will pass that knowledge on to my kids. It is for reasons like this I love to fish.

P.s. I used my 4-weight, with a sink tip line, a size 14 prince nymph and trolled within the first foot of the water column because of the murky water.

Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-up Thanks Us at Fish on Yukon!

2006-05-27T22:11:00.000-07:00

If you look back a few posts I wrote a story about the The Old Crow School and the Agonzing Tangle of a Marsh Hawk. A week and half later I recieved an email from the Publicity Liasion person at the Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-up stating:

"I just wanted to write and say thank you for mentioning us in your blog. From it, we've received a number of hits on to our website. You might already know this, but last year the International Coastal Cleanup added 'discarded fishing line' to their dirty dozen list (top 12 items removed worldwide from shorelines). So, it's great that you're helping us spread the word."

She goes on to state: "We're actively recruiting site coordinators for our cleanup this year (Sept 16 - 24). Anyone who registers before Aug 31 gets a cleanup package free of charge."

If you are interested in becoming involved you can find out more at www.vanaqua.org/cleanup or email me and perhaps we can get a group of us anglers together to hit a Yukon lake or two.

Are the Lakes Open Yet??????

2006-05-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

Calling all Anglers! Are the lakes open yet? I am getting itchy to fish! Let me know, I have heard that Twin Lakes is getting there and obviously the Yukon River is open.

Pike Fishing on the Takhini River

2006-05-23T21:35:00.000-07:00

Anthony and his buddy Andrew took off for some fishing on the Kathleen and ended up catching Pike on the Takhini. Just shows you the fishing opportunities abound in the Yukon. Anthony provides a link on his blog to the fishing story, complete with photos. Make sure you click through to Andrew's site for some great accompanying photos.

Both of these guys have skookum Yukon blog's that are updated regularly, "Memo from the North of 60 Desk" and "A Stark Place".

A big thanks as well for the first fishing report not coming from me...I was starting to feel a bit lonely. When I get my contest going for some Fish on Yukon merchandise, I'll enter your names.

Tagish Bridge and the Ice Flow

2006-05-22T18:42:00.001-07:00

Fished the Tagish bridge and Yukon River this weekend and was surprised at the low water how much ice is still out there. Tagish bridge fishing was slow this long weekend. I guess the rule proves true, fish when the locals are out there....there were no locals this weekend. Saw a bunch of boats at the mouth but have no sense of how they did. Most of the lakes are still chalk full of ice, but the heat this weekend should set them well on their way.

The low water does make for some comfortable and safe fishing with kids at the Yukon River bridge. There are still some deep sections for Grayling and the kids can meander safely along the small beach. Try a bobber drifting with a fly dropper with the kids. I find that my four year old likes watching the bobber as it slowly makes its way downstream. It also means a longer play than always having to help re-cast with a mepps lure.

The Herring vs. Anchovie debate

2006-05-22T18:42:00.000-07:00

Which are better for Tagish Lake bridge? Some say anchovies give off a better aroma. We know that the Lakers are feeding on the fresh water herring passing under the bridge. I also know that my bait set up was a bit too big for the actual anchovie It did not allow for the wounded spiraling of the fish. Apparently you can pick up a free permit at Environment to jig for herring to use as bait fish. Any thoughts?

WWW.FISHONYUKON.COM coming soon!!!

2006-05-18T22:31:00.000-07:00

Stay tuned for a fresh website with a new look and feel. I will have a skookum Fish on Yukon logo and friendly format for blogging. I don't find this program that great for informal fishing reports and categorizing stuff.

Also check out my first published story in Whats Up Yukon www.whatsupyukon.com under the Sports Section called "Been there Fished That". I'll be doing it all summer. My next story will probably be about fishing the Tagish Bridge for Lakers or the Yukon River for Grayling. Once the lakes start opening up around Whitehorse I'll start fishing and writing about them as well. My two kids under five keep me pretty close to home these days, but I do have a small boat and can hit some lakes outside of town. Let me know of your story ideas. If you have some great experience in other areas of the Yukon let me know and maybe I can write a story about you! Until my kids are a bit older I plan on living vicariously through you.

Old Crow School and a Marsh Hawk's "Agonizing Tangle"

2006-05-17T22:33:00.000-07:00

In the May 16th, 2006 version of the Whitehorse Star, there is a story about a Marsh Hawk (aka Northern Harrier) that became tangled in fishing line and died of starvation. I could not agree more with Philip Merchant's (Dept. of Environment) recommendation to bring a small bag along to carry any extra line that one should come across. It has happened to all of us where we hook up on something and it is difficult, if not impossible to retrieve our line. In the case of Pumphouse Lake the historical evidence is littered across the power lines (including lures). Pumphouse is also a great lake to take people new to fishing or little kids, given that it is close to town, a calm accessible lake and it has a variety of fish. In addition to all the standard fishing conservation ethics (i.e. live release, barbless hooks, catch regulations, special management waters, etc..) we should teach new anglers and kids about the consequences of not collecting wasted line. Given the lower water levels in the spring, this time of year may uncover some line left over from last year. But hey....I am also the guy who excessively cuts all the plastic rings from my six pack to avoid birds getting their heads stuck in it.

The good news....by chance I was looked into Canadian initiatives related to cleaning up discarded fishing line and I came across the "Great Canadian Shore-line Clean-up" initiative http://www.vanaqua.org/cleanup/home.php. Guess who was featured on the front page of the website? The Chief Zzeh Gittlit School in Old Crow, YT. The website states that the school: "will be making Canada that much cleaner this September. They've registered a brand new clean up site! The Porcupine River flows through their isolated community, accessible only by airplane or by canoe. Welcome Chief Zzeh Gittlit School and thank you for signing up to keep Canada beautiful!"

Are there any other issues outside the norm that we as Yukon angler's could do to demonstrate our conservation ethic and interest in sustainability of the fishing resource? The only other issue I can think of is the damage that lead-based fishing equipment can have on waterfowl. For an in-depth story on the Canadian "lead debate" have a look at http://www.outdoorcanada.ca/fish/without_lead2.shtml

Float Tubes vs. Pontoon Boats in the Yukon

2006-05-13T18:02:00.000-07:00

I was doing some research today for my next "Whats Up Yukon" article on personal propelled watercrafts and was curious about whether float tubes or pontoon boats are better for fishing in the Yukon. I own a Buck's Bags belly boat and have enjoyed fishing it in the local stocked lakes. I love being able to throw it in the car, head out to Hidden Lakes and fish for two to three hours after my kids go to bed. I have had great luck trolling leeches, nymphs and chironomid pattern with a sinking fly line. After chatting with Jason and Sean at the Sportslodge and Glen at Sports North I am thinking a pontoon boat may be better. I always thought that pontoon boats were for moving water like fishing the Takhini for Grayling. I thought they were too cumbersome to carry and fish with oars on our little local lakes. Glen says that pontoon boats are outselling float tubes these days and they are great for stillwater applications. He says that you can cover more water in greater comfort in a pontoon than a float tube. I agree hands down with comfort as I have found it a bit tiring to kick all day and painful to not cover more water. I actually own a second hand pontoon boat that I have yet to inflate. I would imagine it would be tricky on a pontoon boat fighting a fish on a windy day with both hands on the rod. The boat would probably lose ground and may take you closer to the shoreline if not careful. I guess an anchor would help but then there is another underwater obstacle for the fish to get tangled on. I'll try them both this year and get back to you with an official tested position. What do you think? Any recommendations on brand or features? By the way this weather sucks....

Introducing Yukon's "Larger than Life" Pike Fly

2006-05-06T22:18:00.000-07:00

As you recall a few posts ago, I mentioned the new Yukon brand and how I might be inspired to create a fly that is "Larger than Life". This was my first shot at it. I can already think of a number of modifications to make it more fishable...like a weed guard...but it was worth a try. I may try it out in the weed beds of Little Atlin or Marsh Lake and see if they think it is "Larger than Life". The fly was chosen because the front Grizzly Hackle signifies the Mountains, the second white hackle signifies the Snow Cap over the mountains, the orange deer hair (parachute style) is the bright Sun emerging over the Mountains (I am thinking Kluane Mountains here), the two brown chenille bodies signify Stream/gravel beds and the middle white/aqua chenille is the River, the gold tinsel ribbing is of course Yukon Gold and the brown marabou tail is the expansive Tundra. Ok, it is a bit of a stretch and cheesy but it may catch fish.

Speaking about fishable Pike flies, I pulled out an old Canadian Fly Fisher Magazine (http://www.canflyfish.com/) and found the following characteristics for an effective Pike fly:

It must be lively in water.
It should pulse and/or dip seductively and should work well when moved slowly.
It must be durable.
It should be easy and quick to tie, from readily available and, preferably inexpensive materials.
It should easily adapt to some form of shock tippet (either wire or heavy monofilament).

Email me or comment and let me know what you think?

Angler's Guide to Stocked Lakes in the Yukon

2006-05-05T22:18:00.000-07:00

I had to drop off a friend at the Department of Environment on Burn's Road today and I thought I would stop in and pick up the new fishing regs for 2006-2007. I forgot how much public information is out there for fishing in the Yukon. Most impressive is the "Angler's Guide to Stocked Lakes in the Yukon". I know I have picked up a copy of this before, but it seems to be updated and a bit more polished than what I had in the past. The guide has description of 23 stocked lakes in the Yukon, with driving instructions, maps, depth charts and a history of what fish are in there and when it was stocked last. If you are new to the Yukon, or are looking for accessible opportunities just off the highways this is a must have!

In addition to that resource, there were of course the regs, a one-page hand-out on the "Best Times to Fish", a four-page hand-out on "Fishing in the Yukon Locations and Species Found" (with over 75 different locations!!), a three-page hand-out on "Yukon Northern Pike Fishing Opportunities", and a detailed 7-page hand-out on "Fish Species of the Yukon Territory" including a two page description w/diagrams on how to fillet a Pike.

I should not forget the attractive fold-out 2006-2007 "A Guide to Yukon Government Campgrounds". This one is also downloadable from http://www.environmentyukon.gov.yk.ca/parks/campgrounds.html.

Now there is no excuse, get on out there and fish! Remember to tell me about it and I'll post your report!

Fishing in Yukon is "Larger than Life"

2006-05-04T22:40:00.000-07:00

In mid-April the Government of Yukon department of Tourism and Culture launched their new Yukon brand. The brand is the Yukon and the tagline is "Larger than Life" http://largerthanlife.ca. This will replace Yukon Canada's True North. A brand typically should evoke an emotional response and is a commitment to a customer. I think we can all agree that fishing in the Yukon is a "Larger than Life" experience.

I recall kicking around Hidden Lakes in my belly-boat at 2am. The midnight sun hanging low in the sky, the air started to cool, creating a soft mist in certain pockets of the lake, an eagle sitting in a tree watching me, the lake pure calm, not a soul out there but me, fish rising and I put on the perfect little mosquito pattern. Nope...not a hit. But I do remember thinking that this experience was greater than I. That I was truly alive and that I was blessed to be living in a place like the Yukon...this place was truly "larger than life".

If you can think of any "Larger than Life" fishing stories (or even "Larger than Life" flies that you could tie) ... send them to me and I'll post them. I was in a painfull meeting today at work so I took the opportunity to doodle on paper what the fly could look like. If I find the time, I''ll tie a couple and post them as well.

Spring Dolly Fishing in Haines, Alaska

2006-05-02T22:36:00.001-07:00

This is another version of the story "Open Water Relief in Haines Alaska" featured in the May, 2006 edition of "What's Up Yukon" (www.whatsupyukon.com)

My fishing buddy, Derek and I headed for Haines in late April. We packed up the Westy, left on a Friday and planned to be back on Sunday. The drive on the Haines Highway was slow and steady given the lawnmower size engine in the Westy. We made it across the border by about 10pm and parked next to the stretch of Chilkat river we wanted to fish. We had enough time to sip a bit of scotch and fire up the DVD to watch the "Walk the Line" Johnny Cash movie. Very good fishing movie, as you will be humming his songs as you cast for the next eight hours. We hit the water in the morning, fearful of the weather. You never know what you'll get with that coastal influence. We got wind...Crazy wind picking up sand and blowing at us in bursts. It made fly-fishing tough. We survived by nymphing some deep troughs close to the shore-line. We had some success but the fishing was a bit slow. Later that afternoon we ran into another group of Whitehorse fisherman who had been there for days. We all fished the same stretch of river with the spin casters having more luck. I have to admit I put the fly rod down for about an hour and within an hour picked up three Dollies on the spin rod. All I had was a red devil and some other silver mepps, but they worked fine. I probably would have liked a few smaller pixies, but I could not justify buying more as I have dozens sitting at home. A highlight for me was running into Al, who introduced me to this spring Dolly thing three years ago. It was great to see him reading and napping along shore, really taking in the fishing experience. I don't have that kind of patience yet, but I think it will come where I can relax, not fish and really take it in. I think it brings good fishing karma. For the second day, the wind died a bit, but still a bit slow in terms of fish. They seemed to hit quite soft this year, as we both lost opportunities and a few fish. The Dollies we did catch were still pretty skinny, no surprise though as they have to fatten up after the ling winter. Overall a great start to the year and the beer and burger at the Bamboo Room was well deserved at the end of a great day fishing.