Fly Fishing
Fly Fishing the Yukon Territory is a unique experience. Lake Trout and Northern Pike offer exciting shallow water action on the fly in our early summer fishing season. Soon after the ice melts of the lakes and the sun starts beaming summer life across the landscape our fishing season commences. Fish at this time of the year (early June thru Mid July) are predominantly located in shallow water.
Lake Trout are taking advantage of early feeding opportunities that Lake Whitefish and Arctic Grayling are providing. Shortly after the fist mosquito hatch and heat wave that initiates summer, Zooplankton and Bugs will draw the bait fish to the surface to feed. This only lasts for 3-5 weeks until water temperatures rise which will establish a thermocline in the lakes. At this time the Whitefish will follow the Zooplankton and Lake Trout will follow the Whitefish into deeper water. Some lakes offer unique cold water streams that are spring fed and can produce Lake Trout all year, but most Lakers go deep in early July. We would advise that all clients looking for a fly fishing specific experience to book during our first 5 weeks of season while Lake Trout can be effectively targeted.
Northern Pike will be located in much shallower water than the trout all season, but early season Pike fishing can be particularly exciting. Within 5 days of the ice melting off the shallow bays and rocky outcroppings Pike will congregate in these areas to spawn. It is the following weeks in which the main body of the lake’s will become ice free and navigated by boats. At this time the pike are in what is referred to as the “post spawn” they are feeding aggressively on Whitefish. The “post spawn” is what Pike fishing is all about! The Pike are deprived and left unfed from the stresses of spawning and are known to annihilate anything close to them, including smaller Pike and birds utilizing the waterways along the bays and wetlands. Pike will only inhabit the shallow water for about 3 weeks, as the water temp rises the bait fish they are gorging on will seek deeper water. Pike will follow the feed into deeper water as do the Lake Trout but to a lesser extent, typically moving onto submerged weed beds and rock piles/outcroppings between 10-30ft.
