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.

More good King Salmon news

If the pre-season abundance index recently released by the Pacific Salmon Commission is anywhere near accurate, one can expect good runs of Chinooks again this season on rivers draining into Southeast Alaska. According to the Commission's Chinook Technical Committee, the 2011 pre-season abundance index for Southeastern waters is up an impressive 25% over that of last year, which in itself was not a bad season at all. For rivers such as the Tatshenshini, this is very good news!

Streamer flies for the minimalist

Minimalism can mean many things to many people. For some, it means doing the least possible to sustain one self. To me, however, that only makes sense if you want to hibernate. Rather, I like to think of minimalism as the key to maximizing one's day to day life; by focusing on what's important and getting rid of anything unnecessary or irrelevant.

When it comes to trout fishing with streamers, there are actually hundreds of patterns out there. In fact the choices can be mind boggling...you could literally stand on the bank of a stream for days, steadily casting, with a different fly tied on each cast. So how does one chose the right fly? Many people do it just that way; i.e. changing the pattern pretty much every cast until they hit success or run out of time.

However, if you don't want to waste time, one fly that works well for all trout species across virtually the whole continent is the Woolly Bugger. If you could only have one streamer in your fly box, it should be a Woolly Bugger.

Tatshenshini salmon - reason for optimism

Wild, beautiful, and fittingly designated a UNESCO world heritage site, the Yukon's Tatshenshini river hosts significant runs of three important salmon species: Kings, Sockeye, and Silvers; the latter of which are pictured above. While Kings and Sockeyes are targeted in the upper river during the peak of the run in July, Silvers are generally taken at the river mouth in Alaska, beginning in September.

Unfortunately, like most Pacific Salmon rivers, the numbers of spawning Sockeye returning to the Tatshenshini have steadily declined over the past decade. That is, until last year. In fact, the 2010 Sockeye counts approached "historical records", according to Federal Fisheries officials. The numbers of Kings were also up significantly last year, which is very good news and definitely bodes well for the future. While the 2011 forecasts are not yet available, there is no reason to expect that the runs will be anything less than 2010, and indeed, every reason for optimism that this magnificent resource will be around for generations to come.

To find out more about the spectacular fishing available in the Yukon, visit http://www.fishcanadanow.com/ ...

Want to bring a smile to a kid's face? Bring them fishing!

The picture says it all. Kids love fishing! One of my fondest memories of my childhood was a day spent beside a pool on a small trout stream with my family. Even though my brothers and I just watched as our father did all the fishing, it was fascinating to witness the seemingly magical method of casting a fly for a waiting trout...the anticipation...the thrill of the strike...and finally, the beautifully spotted fish squirming in our hands.

No-one would disagree that getting kids outdoors is a good thing. To me, getting them into fishing is even better. Fishing will only survive if it has the interest of future generations who are passionate about it and willing to protect this fabulous sport. Pass it on and pass on a smile!

Miso salmon recipe

Normally I wouldn't do this...how many times have I asked guests to leave the room when I prepare this recipe? Well, here goes, step by step:

1) Try using fresh sockeye. It seems to withstand the tremendous cooking times needed for this recipe to work. My second choice is wild Atlantic salmon...not easy to come by. Other than that, small chinooks work well.

2) Whole fish work best. Remove the rib bones but leave the head and backbone intact.

3) For a 5 - 8 lb fish, mix about 2 tablespoons of brown miso paste with 1 cup real mayonnaise in a large bowl. Dice 2 good size portobello mushrooms and 1 medium red onion. Grate about 1 cup medium cheddar cheese and keep everything apart until the next step.

4) Preheat oven to 375. Prepare a large sheet of heavy aluminum foil on a large cookie tray and lay whole fish open, or "butterflied", on the tinfoil. Spread miso/mayonnaise sauce over the fish cavity. Add diced mushrooms and onion and finally grated cheese. Add liberal amounts of ground pepper but watch the salt (miso paste is already quite salty).

5) Tightly wrap the salmon in tinfoil (bringing up the sides to look like an obese, but viable fish). Cook for 1 hour and 20 minutes and open the tinfoil to check. The sauce should be bubbling and the cheese completely melted when its done.

6) Serve with roasted new potatoes in herbes provance and olive oil, a light salad, and liberal amounts of Pinot Grigio.