Ethel Lake, Yukon: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  You will find Ethel Lake in Mayo, Yukon. The bank is 764 metres above sea level. It covers about 45.77 sq km, which means weather matters as much as tactics. Some 51 km of shoreline means conditions can differ from one end to the other. On our Mayo list it sits near the top for size. Dawson City at 181 km is the nearest place to stop. For a city, Anchorage is 751 km off. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Ethel Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Species logged across Mayo include Chinook salmon, mountain whitefish and sockeye salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Fish Ethel Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -24°C to 13°C. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. After mid May the shallows warm and the fish move up. Open water usually runs from mid May until about mid October. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. The season on Ethel Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. For salmon, swing spoons or flies through the moving water and mind the local method rules. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Crystal Lake is 15 km distant. Ask locally about Ethel Lake if anything is unclear.