My blog has moved to WWW.FISHONYUKON.COM

Check out my new blog at www.fishonyukon.com! I am still getting used to the new software and I have some work travel to Toronto that is keeping me out of water and away from the computer. I have some blogs lined up on: the Haines Fishing report, Lake Lebarge, Hidden Lakes, and Kathleen Lake.

Send me an email at my new address dennis@fishonyukon.com and I'll post your reports. Tight Lines!

McLean Lake Report from Dan @ www.flyfishingtheglobe.net

Dan Cook is on his way floating and fishing the Yukon River in his dory. The Yukon is his first stop in his around the world adventure. Dan provides his own account and photos of his first fish at Yukon's McLean lake at http://www.flyfishingtheglobe.net/journal.htm.

You can keep up with Dan by signing up at his website. Good luck and we'll see you when you pass back through.

Cantlie Lake Report (from Andrew and Anthony)

Firstly, let me introduce Urban Yukon. This is a collection of 23 of the most interesting Yukon blogs.

I just read Anthony (Memo from the North of 60 Desk) and Andrew's (A Stark Place) postings on a recent fishing and 4X4 trip into Cantlie Lake. They have some great pictures on their repsective blogs...just click the highlighted links above.

I am starting to feel for Andrew who has not caught his first fish of the year yet. Any guaranteed suggestions for him out there?

http://astarkplace.blogspot.com/2006/06/cantlie-lake-and-still-no-fish.html

http://blog.delorenzo.ca/memo/cantlie_lake_fishing_trip.html

Pumphouse Lake Clean-Up September 16, 2006...Be there!!!!

If you have been following this blog you will remember that I have been in contact with the great staff at the TD Canada Trust Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-up initiative (see Old Crow School and the Agonizing Tangle of a Marsh Hawk AND Great Canadian Clean Up Thanks Fish On Yukon).

Due in large part to discussions with Philip Merchant (Yukon Dept. of Environment) and the people at the TD Canada Trust Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-up I have decided to become the site coordinator for the Pumphouse Lake Shore-line Clean Up September 16th, 2006. The Yukon's lakes and rivers have given me incredible fishing opportunities and it is time to give back. I hope you will join me on this day to clean-up the lake. This will be a very child-safe initiative so bring your kids. I plan on bringing my two and four year old to teach them how take care of our environment and fisheries. I have already spoken to a few corporate organizations and they are keen to help out. Let me know if you are interested or you can sign-on as a volunteer on-line at http://www.vanaqua.org/cleanup/. There are also a few other Yukon sites that you can clean-up.

I should also say that it has been a pleasure working with this national initiative, Philip Merchant and Yukon anglers. Philip made sure to mention that "the fellow that actually first saw the bird and brought it into me is Adam SKRUTKOWSKI . He really was the person in the field that recognized the problem, was interested enough to mention it to me, and then went back and recovered the dead bird".

The TD Canada Trust Great Canadian Shore-Line Clean-Up also wanted to thank the Fish On Yukon blog for getting the message out through a story on their front page and a copy of Chuck Tobin's Whitehorse Star story of the Marsh Hawk ( see "Local Heroes" http://www.vanaqua.org/cleanup/home.php. I'll keep you posted on this initiative.

New Fish On Yukon Logo and Website (soon)

I am proud to show you the new logo for "Fish on Yukon". I also have a few other elements and about 6 colours that I am playing with. They were created by Rory at Terra Firma. I expect to prode some merchandise over the next couple of months (i.e. stickers, patches, t-shirts, sweatshirts, etc...). Let me know what you think.

I will also be live with www.fishonyukon.com in a matter of days. I want it be functional so I'll let you when it is ready.

McLean Lake Rainbow Report

I took in McLean Lake this weekend with Dan Cook (see Fly Fishing Around the World) . What a night, took off after the kids went to bed and hit the water. A bit buggy but very warm. My fishing buddy Derek had already been there for two hours and was into about a half-dozen nice rainbow trolling bead head patterns in the shallows. Dan showed me all of his gear for the expedition...amazing. He is sponsored by Sage, Rio, and a few other big names. They set him up with rods, reels, gear and flies. His fly box was packed full of flies I have never seen or heard of. He showed me a reel as big as my head with 600 yards of backing that we was going to fly-fish for Marlin.

Dan, Sandor and I hit the water and immediately went to work. Dan did what any expert would do...dry fly a little mosquito pattern and he was "fish on". He had his first fish of the two year expedition at McLean lake. Dan caught a few more casting to shore with a nymph and reeling back in with a regular 18 inch stripping routine . I started my usual nymph trolling routine and for some reason switched to a dry fly. I don't know if I was star-struck and trying to keep up with the big guy, but I must have watched 15 rainbow ignore my dry fly. I went back to my regular routine and tolled the lake. I got into about five pesky little 7 inch rainbow and then finally a nice 18 inch rainbow near the end of our day. The conditions are great. You could see dozens of them at any time cruising the shore-line. I found them a bit choosy as to what worked but once on they gave a good fight. Dan commented on how he can tell that they have not been caught before. Many trout waters he has fished, there are too many anglers and the fish just give up and come in.

McLean is catch and release so nothing but good memories to bring home.

Wolf Creek Fry Release

I took in the fantastic Wolf Creek Fry Release earlier today. What a great event sponsored by the Yukon Fish and Game Association since 1985. In addition to the incredible conservation messages, what a great way for kids to get there hands on some wriggly little fry and dump them into the Wolf Creek. The association did not even advertise this year and it was packed with little mini-conservationists. My two and four year olds have been going for as long as they could walk and they even had cake, hot chocolate and hot dogs.

Did you know that they released 150,000 fry today of which 0.02% survive. They individually cut off the adipose fin and tag each one of them.

Good work all YFGA volunteers!

Fly Fishing Around the World Starts in Whitehorse

I had the opportunity to fish with Dan Cook, Adventurer and Fisherman. It was an honour to hook up with him at the very start of his two year journey fly-fishing around the world. He will be going to places like Kamchatka/Mongolia for Taimen, Australia and New Zealand for 400 pound black Marlin, Zambezi River for Tiger Fish, the Rio Negro for Peacock Bass, Honduras for Permit and Tarpon...it goes on and on....all on the fly.

He starts his trip Tuesday morning from Rotary Peace Park in the Yukon River floating and fly-fishing all the way to St. Marys Alaska. He will be taking his custom built whitewater expedition dory.

It was great to say that the first fish he caught on his trip was in McLean Lake for a beautiful Yukon Rainbow Trout. Check his website out www.flyfishingtheglobe.net. I am happy to say that he is a really nice guy as well.

Hidden Lakes Report from Andrew C.

Fishing report from Andrew C.:

"Made a trip up to the hidden lakes Tuesday night! Beautiful weather and first time out in my belly boat so it was good times. Unfortunately the fishing wasn't as good as the rest of it. I managed to latch into 7 little rainbows, all being smaller then 12 inches.

I was using a small black bead head nymph and got all the action casting into shore and retrieving back out.
Good first trip, hopefully we can check out Mclean lake and I can catch somthign worth bringing home!"



Talk to you soon,
Andrew

Top Picks for Fishing Music?

I was talking to a fishing buddy who commented that I sing alot of Johnny Cash when I fish. Any thoughts of the best fishing music? I am still sticking to Johnny Cash.

A Great Morning at Pumphouse Lake (thanks to Bruce)

Thanks to your reports that the water was open, I decided to work the rust out at Pumphouse Lake yesterday morning...and it was fantastic.

It started out great when I met Bruce on shore. He had been fishing all morning and had a great time. What I liked most about Bruce was that he was an iconic Yukoner. A real class act. He was an older gentlemen and a buddy of Chuck Gregerson (used to do the fishing shows on CKRW and legendary caster). He came off the water and took the time to chat about his morning. As I prepared my gear he stood stoically against his old pick-up smoking a great smelling pipe. In a patient and calming way shared his insights on how to fish the lake that day...he shared his thoughts on where the fish were, how to fish them, and what to use. I jumped in the water and went to where he suggested, used the technique he suggested and used what he suggested.

Within 5 minutes I was into a beauty 19 inch Rainbow. The best part was that as I landed him into my net on my belly boat, he gave a supporting little honk as he drove off. He had watched me the entire time and shared in my effort. Bruce and I come from a different generation, but I will pass that knowledge on to my kids. It is for reasons like this I love to fish.

P.s. I used my 4-weight, with a sink tip line, a size 14 prince nymph and trolled within the first foot of the water column because of the murky water.

Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-up Thanks Us at Fish on Yukon!

If you look back a few posts I wrote a story about the The Old Crow School and the Agonzing Tangle of a Marsh Hawk. A week and half later I recieved an email from the Publicity Liasion person at the Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-up stating:

"I just wanted to write and say thank you for mentioning us in your blog. From it, we've received a number of hits on to our website. You might already know this, but last year the International Coastal Cleanup added 'discarded fishing line' to their dirty dozen list (top 12 items removed worldwide from shorelines). So, it's great that you're helping us spread the word."

She goes on to state: "We're actively recruiting site coordinators for our cleanup this year (Sept 16 - 24). Anyone who registers before Aug 31 gets a cleanup package free of charge."

If you are interested in becoming involved you can find out more at www.vanaqua.org/cleanup or email me and perhaps we can get a group of us anglers together to hit a Yukon lake or two.