Species of Fish for Kluane Lake
The pure waters of Kluane Lake are home to healthy populations of Lake trout, Arctic grayling, Northern pike, Whitefish, Inconnu and Burbot. The information about each species on this page was published by Environment Yukon in their brochure "A Guide to Fishing in the Yukon".
LAKE TROUT
A beautiful fish. Trout average about 2 kg (4.5 lbs) in weight but can reach up to 19 kg (41.8 lbs) and sometimes over. We manage this one carefully because it's very 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 switsch 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 rivers 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.
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.
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.
