Large River · Glacial Till · Yukon

Yukon River (upper, Whitehorse area)

Yukon River (upper, Whitehorse area) — Yukon River, Canada

The upper Yukon around Whitehorse is accessible northern fly water — a big, cold, lake-fed river with Arctic grayling, lake trout and pike.

Prime · Pike
Parachute Adams · 14–18
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
River dropping into shape after a lift. The kind of afternoon you remember — a weighted nymph through the clearing seams, the dry as it settles.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level30.14 mDropping after lift
  • Water temp12.7°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Parachute Adams
Parachute Adams14–18
Cast to rising fish and let it drift drag-free.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
30.14 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp12.7°C
ClarityClear
Weather12°C
WindSE 8 km/h
Pressure1008 hPa
Rain · recent1.6 mm
Rain · ahead8.6 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

Water temperature for Pike
Ideal
13°C est.ideal 818°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Pike
When
June through September for grayling, lakers and pike.
Where
The upper Yukon around Whitehorse is accessible northern fly water — a big, cold, lake-fed river with Arctic grayling, lake trout and pike.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 10am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 9 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
1
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2
American March BrownHatch
2
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Pike fly box
BH
Bead-head nymph
14–16 · Nymph
Search the runs and pockets, dead-drift near the bottom.
AL
Articulated leech (lakers)
12–16 · Fly
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
PF
Pike fly (deceiver)
12–16 · Fly
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Chinook CLOSED (Yukon River moratorium); grayling/laker/pike C&R/limits
  • Verify current Yukon regulations.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Gallery · 2
  1. Yukon River (upper, Whitehorse area) — Yukon River, Canada
    Yukon River, Canada
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The upper Yukon around Whitehorse is accessible northern fly water — a big, cold, lake-fed river with Arctic grayling, lake trout and pike. It once carried one of the longest Chinook salmon migrations on earth, but those kings are now severely depressed and closed to fishing; we carry the salmon as present-only and direct anglers to the grayling, lakers and pike instead. Clear lake-fed reaches make for pleasant, accessible northern fishing.

Under the surface

The upper Yukon around Whitehorse and the Southern Lakes is a big, cold, lake-fed river holding Arctic grayling, lake trout and northern pike, with Chinook (king) salmon historically running far up the system. Clear in its lake-fed reaches and sizeable, it offers accessible northern fly fishing for grayling and lakers — though the once-great Chinook run is now severely depressed and closed to fishing.

Wading: Big cold river, strong current

  • Glacial till
  • Partly confined
  • Large river
  • Glide
Conservation note

Arctic grayling, lake trout and northern pike (C&R / limits). Yukon River CHINOOK SALMON are severely depressed and under moratorium/closure (Canada–US Yukon River Panel) — present in the system but NOT a fishing target; never scored as harvest. Clean-Drain-Dry.

The full read · show the working · for Pike · confidence 90%
How the 82 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow90 × 22%19.8
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time55 × 13%7.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity53 × 12%6.4
Conditions total= 82
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 June30 September
  • Coarse 1 January31 December

    No closed/spawning season for pike in Yukon — territorial regulations state most waters, including the Yukon River, are open year-round for all freshwater species except site-specific closures (none applicable to pike here).

Related guides
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