Fishing Fairchild Lake in Mayo, Yukon

• Overview

  Fairchild Lake falls in Mayo, part of Yukon. What surrounds it is taiga. This is sizeable water at about 1.76 sq km, and a boat opens up most of it. The outline measures near 8.5 km, so local knowledge counts. You are 289 km from Dawson City. For a city, Anchorage is 909 km off. Neighbouring water: Gillespie Lake at about 29 km, Pinguicula Lake at 36 km, Margaret Lake at about 53 km and McClusky Lake at 55 km. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Fairchild Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Open biodiversity records for Mayo list Chinook salmon, mountain whitefish and sockeye salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Fairchild Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -24°C in January up to 13°C in July. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. The lid usually goes in late May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Break-up near late May, freeze-up near mid October: that is the shape of an average year. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. It sets the rhythm of the year at Fairchild Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. Salmon and sea-run fish answer to spoons and spinners where lure fishing is allowed; check the method rules first. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Should this one be busy, Gillespie Lake is 29 km off. Nothing on Fairchild Lake should be assumed from this page alone.