Fishing at Hopkins Lake, Haines Junction, Yukon

• Overview

  Set in Haines Junction, Hopkins Lake is a Yukon water. Everything around it is dry rangeland. This is sizeable water at about 2.19 sq km, and a boat opens up most of it. With 11 km or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. For a base, Whitehorse sits 119 km out. Skagway follows at 220 km, then Haines at 240 km. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Hopkins Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Records held for Haines Junction cover Arctic grayling, northern pike, lake trout, Dolly Varden and round whitefish. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. The near bank of Hopkins Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 11°C, with January the cold end at about -20°C. Cold dominates the calendar on water this far north. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around mid May. In an average year the thaw lands around mid May and the freeze near late October. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Time your trip to Hopkins Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. It is recorded as intermittent, which means the basin empties in dry spells. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Atthilu Lake is 4.2 km off. Treat access at Hopkins Lake as something to verify.