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Photography, Yukon
Photography, Yukon Monday
05Jun
Cantlie Lake and Still No Fish
June 5, 2006 at 04:28PM Saturday, I continued my quest for the year’s first fish with a 4x4ing trip to Cantlie Lake. Cantlie lake has has always been a trusted standby for me, so I make the trip when I’m having bad luck fishing elsewhere. This time I came back empty handed. Unfortunately, we were a week early, as the lake was nearly completely covered in ice. As a result, we were forced to fish in the few areas where there was open water very close to shore.
Tony managed to catch a nice little Arctic Char, proving that he is either much luckier than I or he is a much better fisherman. Is it his technique?
I was actually quite happy with the trip, partly because I was able to get a few nice photos, but mostly because 4x4ing out to Cantlie is a great time. Here is what the Angler’s Guide to Stocked Lakes in the Yukon has to say about the road to Cantlie Lake:
A good map of the trail to Cantlie Lake is available in the guide mentioned above, and Tony provides some info and photos of the trip. He has some nice photos of one of the muckier sections of the trail. I managed to get through this section this time around without using my winch. I hadn’t been able to do so before.
Cantlie Lake is always worth the trouble getting to it, since the fishing is normally outstanding, and there is always lots of privacy. Tony has also put a geocache there. See if you can find it.
Related Tags: 4x4ing, off-roading, fishing, yukon
It’s and old Cat Trail, not recommended for full size vehicles, including four wheel drives. The Lake is best accessed by foot, bike, ATV, or air.I have those two sentences to thank for attempting the drive out to Cantlie in the first place, since they made it sound like a challenge. The first time I attempted the drive, I had a canoe on my roof, and it was raining and muddy. It was an extremely difficult drive, as the road is very narrow. In fact, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to drive a full size pickup all the way to the lake without a chainsaw to take down a few trees. Short narrow trucks like mine a perfect for this sort of trip, however, and a small pickup would probably be okay for it, too.
My advice for anyone considering the drive out to Cantlie Lake is to only attempt it if you have a winch, a small mechanically sound vehicle that has four wheel drive, and good aggressive off-road tires. Furthermore, expect dents, especially if it is wet and rainy like it was on Saturday. There are many small slippery stumps on the trail that tend to swing the vehicle toward the treed edges. There are mere inches of clearance on either side of the vehicle at numerous spots along the way, and these are difficult in the best weather. This time it was raining on our way home, and I got a nice dent on my front fender. Hopefully, I can bend it out.
A good map of the trail to Cantlie Lake is available in the guide mentioned above, and Tony provides some info and photos of the trip. He has some nice photos of one of the muckier sections of the trail. I managed to get through this section this time around without using my winch. I hadn’t been able to do so before.
Cantlie Lake is always worth the trouble getting to it, since the fishing is normally outstanding, and there is always lots of privacy. Tony has also put a geocache there. See if you can find it.
Related Tags: 4x4ing, off-roading, fishing, yukon
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