It was the worst of fishing, it was the best of fishing,
it was the age of foolishness, it was the age of wisdom,
it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the epoch of belief,
it was the season of Darkness, it was the season of Light,
it was the winter of despair, it was the season of hope,
we had nothing before us, we had everything before us....
-- with apologies to Charles Dickens
We enjoyed two one-day stops in the Yukon on our way south from Alaska to British Columbia: Johnson's Crossing and Nugget City at the junction of the east-west Alaska Highway and the north-south Stewart-Cassiar Highway. We have Yukon fishing licenses, so we consulted our handy reference guide and found lakes near each stop to try to catch some more rainbow trout to put on the dinner table.
CHAPTER ONE - JOHNSON'S CROSSING, YUKON
On Tuesday, August 13, 2019, we drove about a half hour west of Johnson's Crossing to little Salmo Lake, a pretty little thing about a quarter mile long and 1/8 mile wide. While the lake would be far to small for a healthy paddle, there was plenty of water to fish -- especially when the trout are feeding along the shoreline:
To put into the lake, we had to portage the kayaks about 20 yards down a path from where we parked the Jeep in a little turnaround-cum-campsite. The day was sunny and the water still, so we started our fishing venture with high spirits and optimistic attitudes.
The water was so clear that it was possible to see healthy vegetation on the lake bottom, even some 100 yards out from shore:
No sooner had we put into the lake than another couple brought their canoe down to the lake on the opposite shore and put in to fish as well. While there was still plenty of room for three boats to fish the lake, there is always the chance of interference when one watercraft passes someone who is trying to catch "the big one." As it was, the couple in the canoe kept a respectful distance, chose the area they wishes to fish, and left us alone:
Kathy got the first strike, and a mighty fish it was! In the photo below, she holds up her trophy. We're still not sure how she could hold it up long enough to have the photo taken.
Unfortunately, that little fry was the only fish we caught that day. It was disappointing because it was the first time we fished for dinner and went home hungry. Oh, well, nothing in life is a given. We packed up our kayaks, went home to cook something else, and planned for our move to our next stop.
CHAPTER TWO - NUGGET CITY, YUKON
Once settled at Baby Nugget RV Park (has a cute ring to it, eh?), we set out on Thursday August 15, 2019 to find the elusive rainbow trout in nearby Rantin Lake, which was a drive of not more than 5 miles from our campground.
The day was overcast and very windy, with gusts well over 15 mph. It didn't look like a very auspicious day for catching fish, but, because the lake was maybe 5 times larger than Salmo Lake, and the winds would give us a chance to test our skills with our new kayak anchors, we thought it would be worth the effort even if we came home fishless.
Here's what the day looked like as we started:
The path down to the lake from where we had to park along the access road was longer and steeper than the access had been at Salmo Lake. The winds made it a little challenging to get our kayaks out into paddling position with all the fishing equipment aboard -- including the ropes and all for our new kayak anchors. But we succeeded at that first challenge:
The shoreline at Rantin Lake was more varied and interesting than at Salmo Lake --
-- again with lots of vegetation, including four or five areas with fields of lily pads. Healthy aquatic vegetation means lots of healthy bugs, and those mean lots of big, fat, healthy trout. We would have been optimistic except for the threatening, gusty weather.
We fished for 2 hours, with not a bite. When we stopped for lunch, we debated whether to waste any more time, given the poor conditions. However, as we ate our sandwiches in heavy thought, the wind died down a bit and the sun came out. Suddenly we saw caddis-type flies coming off the lake, as well as a few sipping rises from our trout buddies. This encouraged us.
When we put back into the lake, Kathy paddled a beeline up to a likely spot in the lee of a peninsula where the winds wouldn't push her kayak around, and there was a gathering of lily pads that might harbor some trout. David chose to make another pass down the lake, using the wind to push him, with plans to end at the bottom of the lake on the far side where there was also some healthy vegetation, including lily pads.
Kathy struck fishy gold! She yelled the news as she struggled to persuade her fish into the net. David was too far away to get a photo, and was tempted to paddle straghtaway up to Kathy's area to chase what appeared to be the only fish in the lake that were active. However, he decided instead to follow his plan. About this time, he had arrived at the bottom of the lake and decided to set his anchor about 20 feet out from some lily pads, maybe 50 feet from shore. He hadn't even finished setting the anchor when something BIG hit the fly on his unattended rod. He heard the line go W-W-H-H-H-I-I-I-I-N-N-N-N-G-G-G-G! and struggled to get control of his rod and tighten the line to keep the trout from shaking off the fly. This fish was a fighter and leaped several feet in the air repeatedly, but ultimately succumbed to the net.
Kathy heard the struggles and paddled down to congratulate David from her spot on the opposite end of the lake. Now that we had two trout, we had enough for dinner, and she asked if that was enough or if David wanted to keep fishing. He said, "More!" so she paddled back up to her favorite spot.
No sooner had Kathy turned back up lake, and David had just put his fish away and was adjusting his anchor, when another trout hit the same fly in the same location! This fish didn't fight as hard and eventually joined David's first trout in the creel on the back of the kayak.
We fished another hour or so, but the clouds and heavy winds had returned, and it was threatening rain, so we decided to hang up the fishing rods. We paddled back to shore and admired our catch before cleaning the fish to prepare them for dinner:
Somehow, while the great fishing day at Salmo Lake had produced nothing, the unfavorable day at Rantin Lake had given us two meals of fish! (Well, now, only one is left.)
Which just goes to show, you can never predict this whole fishing enterprise. But, as long as we can keep catching those healthy, red-fleshed finny ones and have moist, flavorful trout for dinner, we'll keep heading back to the trout ponds.
CHAPTER ONE - JOHNSON'S CROSSING, YUKON
On Tuesday, August 13, 2019, we drove about a half hour west of Johnson's Crossing to little Salmo Lake, a pretty little thing about a quarter mile long and 1/8 mile wide. While the lake would be far to small for a healthy paddle, there was plenty of water to fish -- especially when the trout are feeding along the shoreline:
To put into the lake, we had to portage the kayaks about 20 yards down a path from where we parked the Jeep in a little turnaround-cum-campsite. The day was sunny and the water still, so we started our fishing venture with high spirits and optimistic attitudes.
The water was so clear that it was possible to see healthy vegetation on the lake bottom, even some 100 yards out from shore:
No sooner had we put into the lake than another couple brought their canoe down to the lake on the opposite shore and put in to fish as well. While there was still plenty of room for three boats to fish the lake, there is always the chance of interference when one watercraft passes someone who is trying to catch "the big one." As it was, the couple in the canoe kept a respectful distance, chose the area they wishes to fish, and left us alone:
Kathy got the first strike, and a mighty fish it was! In the photo below, she holds up her trophy. We're still not sure how she could hold it up long enough to have the photo taken.
Unfortunately, that little fry was the only fish we caught that day. It was disappointing because it was the first time we fished for dinner and went home hungry. Oh, well, nothing in life is a given. We packed up our kayaks, went home to cook something else, and planned for our move to our next stop.
CHAPTER TWO - NUGGET CITY, YUKON
Once settled at Baby Nugget RV Park (has a cute ring to it, eh?), we set out on Thursday August 15, 2019 to find the elusive rainbow trout in nearby Rantin Lake, which was a drive of not more than 5 miles from our campground.
The day was overcast and very windy, with gusts well over 15 mph. It didn't look like a very auspicious day for catching fish, but, because the lake was maybe 5 times larger than Salmo Lake, and the winds would give us a chance to test our skills with our new kayak anchors, we thought it would be worth the effort even if we came home fishless.
Here's what the day looked like as we started:
The path down to the lake from where we had to park along the access road was longer and steeper than the access had been at Salmo Lake. The winds made it a little challenging to get our kayaks out into paddling position with all the fishing equipment aboard -- including the ropes and all for our new kayak anchors. But we succeeded at that first challenge:
The shoreline at Rantin Lake was more varied and interesting than at Salmo Lake --
-- again with lots of vegetation, including four or five areas with fields of lily pads. Healthy aquatic vegetation means lots of healthy bugs, and those mean lots of big, fat, healthy trout. We would have been optimistic except for the threatening, gusty weather.
We fished for 2 hours, with not a bite. When we stopped for lunch, we debated whether to waste any more time, given the poor conditions. However, as we ate our sandwiches in heavy thought, the wind died down a bit and the sun came out. Suddenly we saw caddis-type flies coming off the lake, as well as a few sipping rises from our trout buddies. This encouraged us.
When we put back into the lake, Kathy paddled a beeline up to a likely spot in the lee of a peninsula where the winds wouldn't push her kayak around, and there was a gathering of lily pads that might harbor some trout. David chose to make another pass down the lake, using the wind to push him, with plans to end at the bottom of the lake on the far side where there was also some healthy vegetation, including lily pads.
Kathy struck fishy gold! She yelled the news as she struggled to persuade her fish into the net. David was too far away to get a photo, and was tempted to paddle straghtaway up to Kathy's area to chase what appeared to be the only fish in the lake that were active. However, he decided instead to follow his plan. About this time, he had arrived at the bottom of the lake and decided to set his anchor about 20 feet out from some lily pads, maybe 50 feet from shore. He hadn't even finished setting the anchor when something BIG hit the fly on his unattended rod. He heard the line go W-W-H-H-H-I-I-I-I-N-N-N-N-G-G-G-G! and struggled to get control of his rod and tighten the line to keep the trout from shaking off the fly. This fish was a fighter and leaped several feet in the air repeatedly, but ultimately succumbed to the net.
Kathy heard the struggles and paddled down to congratulate David from her spot on the opposite end of the lake. Now that we had two trout, we had enough for dinner, and she asked if that was enough or if David wanted to keep fishing. He said, "More!" so she paddled back up to her favorite spot.
No sooner had Kathy turned back up lake, and David had just put his fish away and was adjusting his anchor, when another trout hit the same fly in the same location! This fish didn't fight as hard and eventually joined David's first trout in the creel on the back of the kayak.
We fished another hour or so, but the clouds and heavy winds had returned, and it was threatening rain, so we decided to hang up the fishing rods. We paddled back to shore and admired our catch before cleaning the fish to prepare them for dinner:
Somehow, while the great fishing day at Salmo Lake had produced nothing, the unfavorable day at Rantin Lake had given us two meals of fish! (Well, now, only one is left.)
Which just goes to show, you can never predict this whole fishing enterprise. But, as long as we can keep catching those healthy, red-fleshed finny ones and have moist, flavorful trout for dinner, we'll keep heading back to the trout ponds.
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