Fishing at Jo-Jo Lake, Whitehorse, Yukon

• Overview

  You will find Jo-Jo Lake in Whitehorse, Yukon. Country round the bank runs to boreal forest. At 7.51 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. At about 25 km of edge, most people fish a single area and learn it well. It ranks high for size among our Whitehorse listings. Whitehorse lies 71 km from the water. For a city, Anchorage is 736 km off. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Jo-Jo Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Across Whitehorse, recorded fish include Chinook salmon, Arctic grayling and round whitefish. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. On Jo-Jo Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 10°C; by January the average is down near -17°C. The fishing year opens late and shuts early. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around late May. The water is typically free of ice between late May and late October. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. The season on Jo-Jo Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Records show it does not hold water year-round. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Primrose River at 18 km is the sensible second choice. Confirm before you fish Jo-Jo Lake.