Kluane Lake in Haines Junction: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Kluane Lake is set in Haines Junction, Yukon. Land around it is spruce and muskeg. At roughly 397.60 sq km it ranks among the larger waters in the region. Its shape is complex, and the arms fish like separate waters. By surface area it heads our Haines Junction listings. The closest town, Whitehorse, is 210 km away. Then Skagway, 276 km, and Haines, 290 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Kluane Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Survey and observation records for Haines Junction include 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. Kluane Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -20°C to 12°C. Water stays cold even at the height of the year. Once it clears, about mid May, the fishing comes on quickly. Averages place the thaw at mid May and the freeze at late October. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. The season on Kluane Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Cache Lake sits 16 km off and takes the overflow. Nothing here settles the position at Kluane Lake for certain.