Outfitter Lake, Yukon: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  In Yukon, Outfitter Lake belongs to Dawson. Elevation runs to 1,051 metres. With some 19 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Roughly 2.0 km of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. Dawson City is the closest place, 107 km off. The nearest city of size is Anchorage, 712 km away. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Outfitter Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Fish documented in Dawson include Arctic grayling, Chinook salmon, lake whitefish, round whitefish and slimy sculpin. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. The near bank of Outfitter Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -26°C in January up to 12°C in July. Winter owns most of the year at this latitude. Once it clears, about late May, the fishing comes on quickly. The water is typically free of ice between late May and early October. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Outfitter Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try Spruce Lake, 3.6 km away. Where Outfitter Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.