Fishing guides › Yukon, NWT & Nunavut
FISHING GUIDE · YUKON & NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Yukon & Northwest Territories Fishing Guide
The Yukon and Northwest Territories offer lake trout, Arctic grayling and northern pike in clean, cold water, with huge lakes and short summers. Great Bear and Great Slave lakes are famous for very large lake trout and have their own tighter limits. Each territory sells its own licence, and many waters have special size rules.
📍 Northern Canada. The Yukon has thousands of lakes and rivers around Whitehorse, Kluane and the Yukon River. In the Northwest Territories, Great Slave Lake lies by Yellowknife and Hay River, and Great Bear Lake sits near the Arctic Circle, reached mainly by fly-in lodges.
Map: spots, ramps and marinas
★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)
Open the full Yukon, NWT & Nunavut map →
Quick facts
- The IGFA all-tackle world record lake trout, 72 lb, was caught on Great Bear Lake by Lloyd Bull on August 19, 1995.
- Great Bear Lake (about 31,328 km2) is the largest lake entirely inside Canada.
- Great Slave Lake is the deepest lake in North America, with a maximum depth of 614 m.
- Only barbless hooks are allowed for angling anywhere in the Northwest Territories.
- Arctic grayling live in almost every Yukon lake and stream and usually run 25-40 cm.
What you can catch
- Lake trout
Shallow for 2-3 weeks after ice-out, then deep by early July. - Arctic grayling
Pools, eddies, below riffles and at lake outlets; light gear or a fly rod. - Northern pike
Shallow bays, sloughs and weed edges; use a wire or fluorocarbon leader. - Inconnu (sheefish)
Yukon and Peel river drainages; easiest in August and September. - Arctic char
Yukon general limit 2 per day. - Walleye
NWT waters; daily limit drops to 1 from Apr 1 to Jun 6. - Burbot
Mostly caught through the ice in winter. - Lake whitefish
Throughout Yukon; set the hook gently, soft mouth.
Month by month
| January | Ice fishing; burbot through the ice. Yukon allows 2 lines when ice fishing. |
|---|---|
| February | Ice fishing for burbot, lake trout and pike. |
| March | Yukon and NWT annual licences expire Mar 31. |
| April | New licence year Apr 1. NWT walleye limit is 1 per day until Jun 6. |
| May | Grayling spawn after ice-out; lake trout feed shallow after ice-out (roughly early May to early June). |
| June | Shallow lake trout early in the month; NWT walleye limit rises Jun 7. |
| July | Lake trout move deep by early July. Yukon Family Fishing Weekend July 3-6, 2026. Tower Bay (Dezadeash) closed Jul 1 - Aug 15. |
| August | Inconnu season (Aug-Sep). NWT Rat River closed Aug 7 - Sep 15. |
| September | Inconnu at tributary mouths. Yellowknife River (Prosperous to Bluefish lakes) closed Sep 1 - Oct 31. |
| October | Dolly Varden fishing in Yukon runs to late October. |
| November | Yukon salmon catch card reports due Nov 30. |
| December | Ice fishing season. |
Tips
- Right after ice-out, cast big silver spoons or shallow plugs for lake trout; later, jig deep and watch your line as the lure falls.
- For grayling, use small spinners, spoons or flies in pools, eddies and below riffles.
- For inconnu, drift a 4 cm gold or silver spoon or a rubber-tailed jig at tributary mouths and back eddies.
- Buy the Great Bear Lake (M1) authorization in addition to your NWT licence; it is needed at any age.
- An NWT or Yukon licence is not valid in national parks; get a Parks Canada licence there.
Rules and license
Government of Yukon (Environment); Government of the Northwest Territories (Environment and Climate Change) · Official rules page ↗
- Yukon licence required (Apr 1 - Mar 31). 2026-27 fees, GST extra: non-resident season $43.11, 6-day $24.63, 1-day $12.31; Canadian resident season $30.79.
- Yukon general waters: lake trout 3/day (6 possession), only 1 over 65 cm; grayling 5/day, 1 over 40 cm; pike 5/day, 1 over 75 cm; Arctic char 2; inconnu 1.
- Yukon Conservation Waters (e.g., Kluane, Laberge, Tagish, Marsh, Bennett, Aishihik): barbless hooks and lower limits with release slots (lake trout 65-100 cm released).
- Yukon: barbless recommended everywhere, required on Conservation Waters, some Special Management Waters and for salmon; a Salmon Conservation Catch Card is needed for salmon.
- NWT: licence required except residents under 16 or 65+; only barbless hooks. Check current NWT fees.
- NWT general limits (2025-26 guide, check current): lake trout, grayling and pike 3/day, 5 possession.
- Great Bear Lake: M1 authorization required; lake trout 1/day, 2 possession, only 1 removed per trip.
- Great Slave Lake: lake trout 2/day, 3 possession, only 1 over 70 cm in possession; Area VI has extra limits.
Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.
Boat ramps and marinas
The map above shows 21 boat ramps and 1 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.
- Prosperous Lake Boat Launch
- Yellowknife Yacht Club
Sources
- https://yukon.ca/en/yukon-fishing-regulations-summary
- https://yukon.ca/sites/default/files/env-fishing-regulations-summary_0.pdf
- https://yukon.ca/en/fishing-regulations
- https://yukon.ca/en/how-and-where-catch-yukon-fish
- https://Yukon.ca/en/arctic-grayling
- https://www.gov.nt.ca/ecc/en/content/nwt-sport-fishing-guide
- https://www.gov.nt.ca/ecc/en/services/get-fishing-licence
- https://www.fieldandstream.com/stories/fishing/freshwater-fishing/trout-fishing/biggest-trout-ever-caught
- https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/largest-lakes-in-canada
Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.