Fishing Rat Lake in Haines Junction, Yukon

• Overview

  Rat Lake stands in Haines Junction, Yukon. What surrounds it is boreal forest. Surface area runs to about 6 hectares — small enough to read in one session. Most waters listed here for Haines Junction are larger. The nearest place of any size is Whitehorse, 189 km away. Further out sit Skagway (256 km) and Haines (270 km). Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Rat Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Species logged across Haines Junction include Arctic grayling, northern pike, lake trout and Dolly Varden. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Work Rat Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 11°C; by January the average is down near -18°C. Winter owns most of the year at this latitude. Winter locks it down, and mid May brings it back. Averages place the thaw at mid May and the freeze at early November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. On Rat Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. The nearest alternative is Grayling Lake, 0.9 km out. Signs at Rat Lake carry more weight than any list.