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The
10 Best Darn Places An Angler Can Call Home
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Whitehorse
(Yukon) |
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| North
of 60: The Yukon River passes through downtown Whitehorse. |
It may be
referred to as the Wilderness City, but Whitehorse certainly
isn’t without all the conveniences and amenities bragged
about by cities south of the 60th parallel. Tucked between two
mountain ranges, picturesque Whitehorse is a modern, vibrant
city with “a healthy economy, small-town values, a safe
environment in which to raise a family, affordable housing and
access to the great outdoors.” All of that, concludes a
city promo, makes Whitehorse “one of the best cities in
Canada in which to live and work.” And play. Along with
the nightlife—Whitehorse boasts close to 60 restaurants—residents
enjoy organized sports, golf, downhill skiing and, most importantly,
great fishing. As the Yukon River wends its way through the
city, in fact, it houses the world’s largest fish ladder,
permitting thousands of fish to move up and down the historic
link to the Klondike.
| FACTS
OF LIFE |
Population:
19,157
Average Household Income:
$73,838
Average Home Cost:
$145,711
Major employers:
Mining and tourism
industries, government
Learn more:
City of Whitehorse,
(867) 667-6401;
www.city.whitehorse.yk.ca |
| THE
FISH |
| Arctic
char; Arctic grayling; burbot; Dolly Varden; inconnu;
kokanee; northern pike; chinook, chum, coho and sockeye
salmon; steelhead; bull, lake and rainbow trout; broad,
lake, pygmy and round whitefish. |
With
24 hours of sunlight in the summer and an endless supply of
rivers, creeks and lakes, Whitehorse is truly an angler’s
dream town. The Yukon River aside, native fish can be found
in 27 lakes gracing the nearby mountains and pine forests—Fish,
Fox, Marsh and Bennett Lakes among them—while another 11
lakes in the immediate vicinity of Whitehorse hold stocked fish.
Then there are another 15 productive rivers and streams within
an hour’s drive of the city. Among the 20 or so different
species local anglers have the privilege of choosing from, lake
trout are a local favourite, with 30- to 40-pound specimens
taken on a regular basis. But it’s the Yukon River that’s
the main attraction. Along with the annual chinook run, the
historic river provides lots of action for pike up to 26 pounds,
as well as Arctic grayling. A favourite stretch close to the
city is the “Thirty Mile Section,” a magnet for both
anglers and hunters—just as the promise of gold once drew
adventure-seekers more than a century ago.
|
by Jim McLennan
photo courtesy of Tourism Calgary |
Calgary
(Alberta) |
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| World-class
waters: The top-notch Bow River winds through Calgary. |
Glenn Smith
works in a Calgary fly-fishing store and, as you might expect,
he’s a bit fanatical about the sport. He sometimes brings
a driftboat to work, and on lunch breaks he drives down to check
the Bow River. He’s too honest to call in sick for the
afternoon, but if the fish are rising, his boat will be wet
15 minutes after he locks the shop door at day’s end. And
Smith is certainly not the only Calgarian with a passion for
fishing the legendary river—there are many anglers who
say flat out that they choose to live in Calgary because of
the Bow and its promise of big trout in the big city. Not that
Calgary itself doesn’t have its share of attractions, including
big-league sports, and plenty of nightlife. For the studious,
there’s the University of Calgary, while skiers can head
west to the downhill ski resorts surrounding nearby Banff. Need
we also mention that Stampede thing?
| FACTS
OF LIFE |
Population:
768,082
Average Household Income: $67,309
Average Home Cost:
$150,820
Major employers:
Agriculture, oil,
manufacturing, construction and service industries
Learn More:
The City of Calgary,
(403) 268-2489;
www.gov.calgary.ab.ca |
| THE
FISH |
| Arctic
grayling; northern pike; brown, cutthroat, Eastern brook,
lake and rainbow trout; walleye; lake and mountain whitefish;
yellow perch. |
Back
to the fishing, the Bow certainly isn’t Calgary’s
only drawing card. Also within the city limits there are the
Glenmore Reservoir and its occasional giant browns, and the
underrated Elbow River, which slides quietly through the shadows
behind the Saddledome. There are also numerous lakeside communities,
such as Sundance and Bonavista, where man-made lakes are stocked
with rainbows. Just a half-hour’s drive from town in any
direction, meanwhile, reveals even more good fishing. To the
west and south are more trout streams, such as the Highwood
and Sheep Rivers, as well as lakes and beaver ponds in Kananaskis
Country. To the north and east are pike and walleye lakes, including
Chestermere and Eagle. In all, there are roughly 40 productive
waters within an hour of the city. For Calgarians, there’s
simply no off-season: frozen lakes keep the ice-fishing crowd
happy from November through April, while a large part of the
Bow remains free of ice all winter long. And when a chinook
rolls down from the Rockies to warm up a winter’s day,
what more reason do you need to finish up work and hit the water?
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| Read
more about Canada`s best fishin` towns: |
Introduction
& Victoria, B.C.
Whitehorse, Yukon & Calgary,
Alberta
Nipawin, Saskatchewan & Selkirk,
Manitoba
Kenora & Peterborough, Ontario
Magog, Quebec & Doaktown, New
Brunswick
Corner Brook, Newfoundland &
Labrador |
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