Fly Fishing Odyssey > Detailed Itinerary
On
this 6-day wilderness fly fishing odyssey, we will set up a comfortable
base-camp on the shores of stunning Kusawa Lake, a 70 km ( 40
mile) long mountain-lined body of water that is known for its physical
beauty, cold deep waters, excellent fishing and fantastic scenery.
With the use of our custom 34-foot support vessel "The Yukon
Rose" we will be able to ply the waters of this large lake in comfort,
stopping to fish the numerous inflowing rivers and creeks for arctic
grayling as well as casting from the boat iself, with sinking lines, in
search of big lake trout, or working the shallows for northern pike. Our drift boat allows us to take a scenic and exciting day-trip down the Takhini River as well.
Day 0: WHITEHORSE, YUKON
Hopefully you enjoyed your travels and have arrived safely in Whitehorse, the Yukon’s capital city, nestled among the wilderness.
Please arrive in Whitehorse in time for
an orientation meeting at 8:30 pm the night before our departure.
Guests are responsible for accommodation and meals while in Whitehorse.
Whitehorse is a splendid little city and we recommend booking some
additional time at either the beginning or the end of your trip to see
Whitehorse.
Please Note: Often our guests choose to come to the Yukon several days early, or to depart several days after their wilderness vacation. Therefore we don't include accommodation in Whitehorse in order to provide flexibility for our guests. If you prefer, we can easily arrange your hotel accommodations in Whitehorse and add these details to your itinerary.
Note: All meals included in this itinerary are listed as: ( B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner )
Day 1: ( L, D)
Cabin Fever Adventures staff will pick you up from your hotels starting at 7:00 am. Participants need to have finished their breakfast by this time. Any final details will be dealt with and we will depart Whitehorse by 8:00 am. Anyone who wishes to fish during the trip and has not purchased a Yukon fishing license will be given the opportunity to do so at this time. (There will be many opportunities to fish during this trip.) After taking care of any final details we will drive a short two-hour shuttle west of Whitehorse to Kusawa Lake, where our adventure unfolds.
On
the shores of Kusawa Lake we will set up a comfortable camp and then
begin our activities with an afternoon of fishing for the large lake
trout or grayling that Kusawa Lake is famous for. We believe in
keeping a small amount of our catch to enjoy at meal time, and
releasing the rest to keep populations healthy for the future. We
will enjoy a barbeque dinner on the shores of majestic Kusawa Lake,
awaiting a sunset that will seem to never come, for this is the land of
the midnight sun!
Day 2 - 3: (B, L, D)
Over the next 2 days we will explore many unique habitats in search of great fishing. Inflowing rivers such as the Takhini, Kusawa and Rose River provide great shoreline fishing opportunities, and our large support vessels allows us to fish the drop to deeper water for lake trout traveling the shoreline in search of their next meal. The shallow draft of "The Yukon Rose" also allows us to cast into the shallows with large flies for the agressive and exciting northern pike! Each night we will rest and shares tales of the day in our comfortable camp that included large spacious tents wth sleeping cots, a portable sit-down latrine and many other touches of comfort that make our camping experience enjoyable.
Day 4: (B, L, D)
Today we will start the day with an early morning shuttle on "The Yukon Rose" to the north end of the lake, where we will find awaiting out drift boat and rafting oar rig. Here we will commence a down-river drift of the outflowing Takhini River. At the mouth of the river, lurk large arctic grayling so we will stop and work this productive zone created by the outflowing current of the lake. In the river itself we will work the deeper pools for the lake trout that travel out of Kusawa Lake to hunt the river system. Along the way we will get a chance to shoot one exciting class II + rapid, but the fun is not over when we reach our shuttle vehicle. Here the slow an murky inflowing Mendenhal River is perfect habitat for northern pike.
Day 5: (B, L, D)
Today after another delicious breakfast we will try our luck again at the places which were the most promising or, check out places that we haven't yet had the opprtunity to try. Kusawa Lake has a lot of fishing terrain to explore on its 150 km of wilderness shoreline. Back at camp we will savour our final wildnerness meal and have one last chance to out-do our fellow fishing enthusiasts with the best tall tale.
Day 6: (B, L )
This morning we must say goodbye to our wilderness camp and pack the Yukon Rose for our journey northward on Kusawa Lake. Along the way, we will stop for one last lunch in the wilderness, and a llast cast of the fishing rod, before reaching our take-out by mid-afternoon. Once we have loaded "The Yukon Rose" upon its trailer we depart for Whitehorse for an approximately 6:00 pm arrival and the end of our Yukon fly fishing odyssey!
Please Note: Your hotel room is not included tonight, but Cabin Fever Adventures would be happy to arrange accommodation for you.
Please Note: This trip operates in an expedition format and due to the variables of weather, and the needs and safety of the participants, Cabin Fever Adventures can not guarantee that the itinerary will proceed as listed above. The itinerary may be modified at the discretion of the guide.
Cabin Fever Adventures
expressly suggests that participants book at least one additional day
in the Yukon at the end of their trip to avoid problems associated with
delays such as, but not limited to:
- Delayed air charters (inclement weather, wild-fire smoke)
- Delayed transportation (mechanical breakdown, unsafe road conditions or closures)
- Delay of wilderness itinerary (inclement weather, wind-bound, injury, illness)
Cabin Fever Adventures can not be held responsible for any expenses you may incur associated with delays of our wilderness trips. Delays could be several days in length under severe circumstances.
What if this itinerary doesn’t quite fit your needs? Cabin Fever Adventures is more than willing to modify an itinerary to fit your needs. We can:
- Add time to the trip for greater leisure, fishing opportunities, photography etc.
- Some trips can be safely shortened in length of time, assuming clients are willing to expend more effort paddling, hiking or cycling as required by the itinerary.
- Some routes can be shortened in terms of distance.
- Combine this trip with other Yukon attractions and or wilderness activities. View Yukon-Wide Slideshow
- Book your hotel rooms (at a discount) for the night before and after you Cabin Fever Adventures vacation and add this to your bill.
