Fishing at Dorsey Lake, Village of Teslin, Yukon

• Overview

  Out in Village of Teslin, Yukon, sits Dorsey Lake. This is spruce and muskeg country. Surface area runs to roughly 3.44 sq km, so plan for one area rather than the whole. Around 9.9 km of bank, which is a long day on foot. It is among the larger waters listed here for Village of Teslin. For a base, Watson Lake sits 160 km out. After that come Whitehorse at 200 km and Skagway at 222 km. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Dorsey Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Village of Teslin records list Chinook salmon, lake whitefish, Arctic grayling, least cisco and northern pike among the fish reported. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Dorsey Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 11°C and January near -19°C. The ice season is long here and the open one short. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid May. Break-up near mid May, freeze-up near late October: that is the shape of an average year. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. At Dorsey Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Cabin Lake is 7.1 km off. Check the current arrangement for Dorsey Lake.