Legar Lake Fishing in Carmacks, Yukon

• Overview

  Carmacks, Yukon, is where Legar Lake sits. It sits in dry rangeland. Surface area runs to roughly 1.32 sq km, so plan for one area rather than the whole. Around 5.6 km of bank, which is a long day on foot. Dawson City at 212 km is the nearest place to stop. After that come Whitehorse at 230 km and Tok at 333 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Legar Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. County-wide records name Chinook salmon, Arctic grayling and northern pike. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Legar Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -25°C in January to roughly 14°C in July. This is a two-season water: locked, then wide open. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from mid May. Averages place the thaw at mid May and the freeze at mid October. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Time your trip to Legar Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try Tthe Ndu Lake, 9.5 km away. Nothing here settles the position at Legar Lake for certain.