Fishing at Pleasant Lake, Mayo, Yukon

• Overview

  Look for Pleasant Lake in the Mayo part of Yukon. What surrounds it is taiga. It measures some 2.78 sq km, and wind has room to build across it. The outline measures near 11 km, so local knowledge counts. Dawson City sits 322 km from here and is the nearest stop. Then Whitehorse, 332 km, and Norman Wells, 353 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Pleasant Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Species logged across Mayo include Chinook salmon, mountain whitefish and sockeye salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. On Pleasant Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -23°C and July at about 13°C, the water has a wide range to work through. A short, intense season is the rule this far north. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly mid May. Expect the water usable from around mid May until roughly mid October. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. On Pleasant Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. For salmon, swing spoons or flies through the moving water and mind the local method rules. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. West Lake sits 35 km off and takes the overflow. Rules at Pleasant Lake are worth checking on the day.