Mysterious Inconnu

Most anglers have never heard of an Inconnu. Yet, more than a myth, these powerful predators are not as far from reach as you might think. Being at the right place, and particularly the right time, is the secret to adding Stenodus leucichthys to your life-list of gamefish. The fact that so little is known about Inconnu is probably explained by where they live; generally in Arctic drainages of Northwestern North America and Asia, far from civilization. To find a destination that features Inconnu fishing, visit http://www.pursuit-travel.com.

2011 - an exceptional season

For all the doom and gloom...bad weather and even worse fishing conditions, 2011 will probably go down as a year of extremes for the Yukon: i.e. best year ever for trophy lake trout; worst year ever for Pike; most rain ever; the most Salmon in over 20 years...but more than anything else...2011 was an exceptional year...the beat goes on!

Sharing the water

One of the greatest rewards of wilderness fishing is the chance of viewing wildlife in their natural setting. Not having smelled our scent, this mother Moose and her twin babies came virtually within an arms reach of my anchored boat this Spring. What a sight!

2011 Salmon season

As predicted, Southwestern Yukon rivers are experiencing strong runs of Chinooks and Sockeyes this season. Lets hope this situation continues into the future.

Best day ever - 11 trophy Lake trout

What an incredible day it was recently at a remote Yukon lake. The Sommer family, a party of four from Switzerland, caught and released 11 trophy Lake trout such as the one pictured above. In the Yukon, a Lake trout is considered a trophy if it measures over a meter.

Short of not fishing at all - releasing fish back into the water is the single greatest personal contribution an angler can make to a local fishery. Let them go...its the right thing to do.

How big is the fish in that picture?

At first glance the Lake trout pictured above seems pretty much the same size as the one below, right? Well, not really. In fact, many would be surprised to learn that its almost twice as big (45 lbs versus 25 lbs).

Spring in the Yukon means new fishing opportunities and of course new tales of gargantuan fish, complete with impressive photos to enhance the story. But really how big is that fish you so often see so well positioned in a photo? Here's some things to consider:

1. If if looks exceptionally big, it probably is...sounds simplistic, but a truly big fish stands out like none other, no matter what the camera pose.

2. Be careful of pictures showing the head pointed toward you. It looks impressive, but its very difficult to accurately tell the size of the fish.

3. Fish held up close to the camera and away from the body generally look much larger than they are.

Yukon Steelhead - fact or fiction?

Arguably one of the most majestic sportfish on the planet, Steelhead, or sea run Rainbow frequent many rivers from California to Alaska. In the Yukon, however, its a different story. Although Rainbow trout are native throughout the Tatshenshini/Alsek watershed very few people can say they've caught a Steelhead there. The reason, probably, is that when Steelhead do run in April and May, the Upper Tatshenshini is virtually inaccessible except by ski-doo, which doesn't exactly inspire one to head out on a fly fishing trip. The fact is, however, that Steelhead do run up the Tatshenshini, although in very small numbers.