Fishing at Big Salmon Lake, Faro, Yukon

• Overview

  The Faro end of Yukon holds Big Salmon Lake. Everything around it is taiga. Surface area runs to some 10.08 sq km, so a boat and a plan are both worth having. The bank runs about 33 km in total, split between open shore and sheltered corners. 114 km away sits Whitehorse, the nearest town. Anchorage sits 887 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Big Salmon Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Public occurrence data for Faro names Chinook salmon and Arctic grayling. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. The shape of Big Salmon Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -20°C and July at about 13°C, the water has a wide range to work through. The ice season is long here and the open one short. Break-up comes around mid May, and the run that follows is short and strong. In an average year the thaw lands around mid May and the freeze near late October. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. That is the shape of the year on Big Salmon Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Sandy Lake at 5.7 km is the sensible second choice. Confirm before you fish Big Salmon Lake.