Large River · Glacial Till · Yukon, CA

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.

Today · Slow going — pick your moments
Forecast · Today
Slow going — pick your moments
Slow going — pick your moments and do not force it.
50% projected
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Steady
29.27 m
Last reading 3h ago
Water temp1.2°C
ClarityClear
Weather-1°C
WindN 3 km/h
Pressure1022 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.5 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Arctic Grayling
Cool — slow
1°C est.ideal 4–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Arctic Grayling
When
Midday window — grayling feed best from late morning into early afternoon.
Where
Work runs and glides — grayling shoal in the bottom third of the water column.
Method
Tight-line nymph the bottom third with weighted patterns.
Kit
10 ft #3 rod, floating line, long leader to 4 lb fluoro for nymphs.
Why this works
Poor — water clarity is working for you, but water temperature is the limiting factor today.
Likely species
Chironomids
Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

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

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

Ranked for today
Arctic Grayling 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 Arctic Grayling · confidence 50%
How the 26 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature13 × 28%3.6
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time25 × 13%3.3
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity50 × 12%6.0
Limiting factor: Water temperature (1°C) is outside Arctic Grayling's preferred range (4–14°C)= 51
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Warmer water — toward the 4–14 °C ideal band — would lift the temperature score.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 June → 30 September
  • Coarse 1 January → 31 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
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts