Yukon Territory - North/Black/Liard River Canoe Trip, Fishing Info

John and Dennis are the fishermen of the group. Ask them about this, not me, 'cause I don't even own a fishing pole (or really like fish, though I will choke some down). I've had to listen to lots of fishing technique, stories and stuff from these two guys (and some others), so I'll tell you what I've picked up. Remember, it was told to me by fishermen, and how much of what any fisherman tells you can you really believe?....

The North/Black River System is not "Great" fishing. It can be good, but is not fantastic like a couple other places we've been (that I'm not going to tell you about). No 'fish with every cast' here, and the ones you do catch are not huge. The fish are there, though. I would not consider this river system as worth running just to fish. It's a paddling trip. If you are a fisherman, and do go there -- yes -- it is worthwhile taking fishing gear. But Remember -- If you are coming up here primarily to fish, chances are its because the fishermen where you live have probably already fished out your home waters. I think there's a lesson to be learned there, but fishermen don't seem to agree.

John and Dennis caught lake trout and arctic grayling only. We saw no rainbow trout, dolly varden, whitefish, or other species, though it would surprise me if there aren't some of those there. This is an arctic river drainage so there are no salmon, or the worry of bear problems that go with salmon runs. Not that you could run this during a fall salmon season, anyway. Uh, we did see bears, though.... Good luck, and keep your camp clean of fish smells.

The lakes have lake trout and the lakes and rivers have grayling. John and Dennis did not fish much on the Liard so I don't know what's there. I understand that trout is better eating than the grayling. We kept and ate a few lake trout, but did not eat any grayling, so I cannot attest to that. John and Dennis both fished artificial lures only -- single hooks and barbless, as a matter of fact. They threw most of their catch back, and the barbless hooks make that much easier. They bring fewer fish into the boat, but more of them live through the process of catch and release that way. Think of it as leaving some for the next guy (could be you!).

Fish sizes were not real big. Lakers into the 6 and 7 lb. range (2.7-3.2 kg), and grayling about 3 and 4 lbs. (1.4-1.8 kg), but averages were smaller than that -- believe me, NOT the fishermen!. They didn't bite all the time either. I didn't listen to enough to try and figure out how to tell you when is best timing. Doubt even the fish know that, though (they aren't much brighter than fishermen).

A fishing license in the Yukon is about $40, but I don't remember if that's all year or just a week or two. Seemed to me I remember hearing grumbles of a $17 charge mentioned, which is probably the short one, so the $40 may be all year. Your problem -- well, it is if you're a fisherman. Maybe I'll remember to ask John and get the info up here somewhere. Oh yes, I also don't know if there are seasons on any species. I'm sure there are limits (though how much can you possibly eat???). All that info might be on a Yukon Government Web site somewhere. I steer clear of any such relating to fishing. You might click around some of those government servers I have linked on the Contacts Page.

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