Yellowknife, NT

Lake Trout

Salvelinus namaycush

A big, long-lived char built for cold, deep lakes. Lakers cruise rocky humps hunting kokanee, whitefish and ciscoes, shallow in spring and fall and 60-120 ft down in summer.

Arctic Grayling

Thymallus arcticus

A sail-finned fish of clear, cold northern rivers and lakes, famous for rising freely to dry flies. Grayling feed in groups in pools and riffles and are a signature light-tackle fish of Alaska and the far north.

Northern Pike

Esox lucius

A toothy ambush predator of northern weed beds, famous for explosive strikes and slime. Pike sit motionless in cover and lunge at spoons, spinnerbaits and large flies passing within range.

Burbot

Lota lota

The only freshwater cod, an eel-like, mottled bottom fish that spawns in mid-winter and feeds at night. Burbot are a favourite ice-fishing target in Alaska and northern lakes, and almost never caught by day in summer.

Arctic Char

Salvelinus alpinus

The jewel of the North — a circumpolar char of Labrador rivers, Nunavik and the tundra lakes, silver from the sea in summer and flame-red at the fall spawn.