Hayden Lake, Yukon: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Hayden Lake lies in Haines Junction, Yukon. The water sits 1,458 metres up. It measures about 27 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Roughly 2.2 km of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. On size it sits at the modest end of our Haines Junction list. Whitehorse sits 170 km from the bank. Then Skagway, 234 km, and Haines, 248 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Hayden Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Public occurrence data for Haines Junction names Arctic grayling, northern pike and lake trout. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Hayden Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 10°C in July and bottoms out near -19°C in January. The season is measured in weeks rather than months. Break-up comes around late May, and the run that follows is short and strong. Climate figures give an open season running late May to mid October. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Hayden Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Fly Lake is 2.1 km off. Confirm before you fish Hayden Lake.