Inconnu lodge (a story from my diary)
by Hans van Klinken



When we left from the Whitehorse airport to Inconnu lodge, deep inside the Yukon wilderness, we had no idea in what kind of paradise we finally would end up . The flight took us about one hour and 15 minutes. The view was awesome, and for Ina and me, it was an unbelievable experience to fly so low over snow covered mountains. We never had experienced a flight between the tips of the mountains before, and that's probably why we shot five rolls of film. It happened more then once that the scenery took our breath away. The exciting (first ever) landing on a unpaved landing strip made a wonderful ending to what seemed to us like a dream. A few guides were waiting for our arrival to pick up our luggage and bring us to our cabin. When the previous guests had left, our hosts, Warren and Anita, called everybody to the main lodge for a complete briefing and introduction to the guides and staff. The information was very serious, but still had a humorous side. We got an excellent overview of all the different programs for the coming days. At the end of his briefing, Warren explained to us about safety and wilderness rules, and it gave us a very secure and safe feeling. I quickly realised that there wasn't any doubt that everything at Inconnu was planned and organized with military precision.

Warren and Anita LaFave are the owners and operators of Inconnu Lodge. Anita is not only a wonderful host, but also does a lot of work behind the scenes, and you can clearly see that at Inconnu Lodge, a woman's hand and mind have been involved in many ways. Roy Clark is their partner, and manages a lot of the marketing work. Kenny is their master fly fisher, and takes care of all fly fishers' desires. The main lodge is amazing. It's huge and built entirely of cedar wood, which gives us a real Scandinavian feeling. The lodge building construction started in 1987, and the business was in full swing by 1995. Warren, who also has managed lodges at Tincup and Wellesly Lake, has been in the outdoor business for a very long time. You can clearly see that the location for Inconnu lodge was chosen carefully, with the help of a lot of experience and background knowledge. The Yukon Territory is home to the world's purest and clearest lakes, streams and rivers, and Inconnu Lodge lies exactly in the centre of these. It's a big base camp from which all trips are organized, and it's a marvellous idea to fish other lakes and rivers in the area as well. This surely will prevent too much fishing pressure, and with a strictly catch and release policy, this lodge can continue to produce excellent fishing in the future.

During one of our gourmet meals, Warren told us everything about the lodge and how much effort it took to create this magnificent camp at such a brilliant location. He told me that he had to make over 1000 flights with the Beaver before the building finally was completed. Inconnu lodge can be best described as a 5 Star accommodation deep inside the wilderness, and for most people, it is just a fishermen's dream or paradise.

The staff and guests are completely separated, and all guests can enjoy comfort and privacy in their own deluxe cabin. A large sauna and hot tub are located near the lake, and offer an excellent opportunity to relax after a long day in Yukon's wilderness. Inconnu Lodge can accommodate up to eighteen people in very nice twin and triple cabins, but has reduced the number of guests to twelve per week to be sure to give even more service and attention to every visitor. All the guest cabins are constructed of finished cedar as well. The floors are carpeted, and each cabin has a full bathroom, and electric heat or wood-burning fireplace. The lodge generates it's own electricity (110 volt) and is operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The generator is located far away from the lodge to eliminate engine noises. All meals are absolutely 5 Stars, and are prepared by a chef straight from France.

After an unforgettable meal, we moved outside. While we gazed out on the lake from the veranda, one of the mountains caught our attention. With a little imagination, we could see the outline of a huge moose head on the side of the mountain across the lake. Meanwhile, Anita showed us tomorrow's fishing plans. We were to fish in groups of four guests and two guides. Roy and Joe became our personal guides for the coming days. Tammy and Steve, two other guests, would join us during the trips ahead. Anita is a master planner, and this surely was a perfect combination. In no time we discovered that Steve's wonderful sense of humour would give a special atmosphere to our group.

Our first trip was by boat to become familiar with McEvoy Lake. I think it's an excellent idea to start close to the lodge to quickly get everybody in the spell of fishing. McEvoy Lake is just seven miles long and about a mile wide, so the entire lake is easily accessible from the main lodge. Our hot spot was a bigger outlet at the south end of the lake. It's a perfect feeding place for grayling and whitefish and the fish are plentiful. The river connects McEvoy with another smaller 5-mile lake. Both lakes offer some outstanding fishing for Lake Trout, Whitefish and Arctic Grayling. Some good size pike can be found in a few shallow and weedy bays as well. Lake trout fishing slows down a little later in the season, but during the evening and night, the catches usually improve again, when the lakers start to feed close to the shore. This actually happen to all the lakes in the Yukon! Most of the McEvoy hotspots are found where small brooks feed into the lake, and those places are plentiful. Steep drop offs can at times offer some excellent fishing as well. At the north side of McEvoy, there is a very nice bay that is usually free from wind, and even during daytime we discovered some larger lake trout feeding on whitefish that school up in the shallows.



Fishing at Inconnu Lodge is superb, and every trip is well organized and excellently planned, indeed. There are twelve major rivers and streams, and seventeen incredible lakes all within a half hour flight from the Lodge by floatplane or chopper. At least seven species of fish (Doly Varden, Arctic Grayling, Lake trout, Broad whitefish, Shee fish. Pike and Burbot) have found their perfect biotopes in the waters around the Lodge. The lodge can supply rods, reels, flies, waders and boots and other equipment at no extra charge, but I recommend that everybody bring their own equipment, including rain gear! At the Lodge Store you can pick up your Yukon fishing license. There are 38 motorboats, 2 jet boats, 4 drift rafts, and several kayaks and canoes spread out over all fishing locations. At 4 locations there are outpost cabins just in case the weather takes a turn for the worse.

Our first fishing day was superb. We didn't fish that long, but it gave us a very good impression about the excellent fishing and nature around us. I did quite well by catching some whitefish, which is not that easy at first. Very small and realistic looking snail imitations finally did the damage. Tammy, who never used a fly rod before, caught some wonderful grayling with a large Klinkhåmer. Steve became addicted to the Klinkhåmer in no time while he fished the main river with Ina.

After dinner, Steve, Ina, Joe and I tried a few feeders across the main lodge. A caribou that was crossing the lake took all our attention, but after a while we returned to the fishing again. Time passed quickly, and when the wind subsided and the sun faded away in a tangle of colors, the fish suddenly became very active. It was beautiful to see Ina and Steve standing in the water with a beautiful scarlet sky flaming in the background. At that particular moment, the surface started to boil when a large school of whitefish started to feed for midges and hatching mosquitoes, just a few yards in front of us. A few big lakers where rolling on the surface among them, and there is nothing more exciting then a huge fish that shows up in a beautiful head and tail rise. It's so nice to see their great sickle tail scything the surface, leaving barely a trace of its presence. This is an electrifying sight, certain to quicken the nerves of any fly fisher. Head and tailing fish will not only keep your adrenalin level up to the mark, but will test your attention all the time. Ina caught a big laker after it came up almost invisibly for a large Klinkhåmer. Steve did very well for grayling, and I was fixed on making some wonderful pictures, to record these beautiful scenes and actions forever. Then something happened that would stay in our memories forever. Suddenly Steve began to tell a wonderful poem. It was the story about "The Cremation of Sam McGee", and for us, it was the perfect time at the right place, to get in touch with the fantastic poems of Robert Service. The way Steve presented it was simply unique. What could be nicer then fishing, catching fish, a small campfire behind you, this splendid performance from Steve, and a beautiful sunset all over the place? We stopped fishing, and with our mouths wide open, we listened to Steve's next show about "The Shooting of Dan McGrew". While the fire slowly faded out, and the mystical call of the loon faded away, an exciting day came to an end.

	The following day, Tammy, Joe and Ina were dropped by helicopter on the mountaintops for a nice alpine hike, while Steve, Roy and I tried some secret spots that have been rarely fished. We planned to meet again at the main lodge at the end of the day. We had the chopper with us all day, and for Steve and me it was one of the most exciting experiences we ever had. We had to search really hard to find some fish, and maybe that was what made this trip so interesting for us. We landed at several places, but we didn't have any luck at first, so we enjoyed the flights and nature. Finally on our last try, and after a good search, I hooked my largest artic grayling ever, and it really made my day. I called Steve, who fished the other side of the lake and when he joined me, I was very happy that he could land some nice fish as well. I was sure all places we fished were excellent fishing spots, but the warm weather from the last few weeks put the fish down to deeper water. When Tammy and Ina returned, their story was amazing! It definitely was a once in a lifetime trip. It was a beautiful day, in spite of the rather cloudy weather. Ina and Tammy hiked from one mountaintop to the next, which was sometimes rather strenuous. Their effort was well rewarded, because once they reached the tops, the scenery was just spectacular! One of the highlights was a mountaintop gourmet lunch, complete with red and white wine!

The fourth day of our trip became a day that we never will forget. It was a day in which many things turned out much differently than expected. We got up at 6am because this time we were the first group that would fly out that day. It was my big dream and wish to try for Inconnu (Sheefish) for a few hours in the Pelly Lakes, and that was exactly on the program. Unfortunately, we landed inadvertently at Lee Lake! The pilot was new to the area, and I didn't blame him at all. I read the map well, and knew we were dropped off at the wrong place, but Ina and I just saw it all as a part of the adventure. To fish an extra lake with jumping fish all over the place isn't too bad either. Instead of waiting for the chopper to pick us up again, I prepared my rod and walked straight to the place I had seen all those fish rising when we flew in. My memory is pretty good in things like that. A small nameless creek was running into the lake, and the fish were feeding like crazy in the current that broke the surface. I got some good size grayling and lake trout, and really enjoyed this wonderful spot. Then the chopper came back, made a few circles and flew away again! We just smiled, shook our heads and I continue fishing. A moose and calf seemed to be disturbed by the noise and ran away, but at least we had enjoyed their company for a while. Ina heard a strange noise behind us but we didn't pay it any attention. A short moment later, the moose and calf started running fast and both jumped straight into the water. It was nice to see how they swam, but by paying it no attention, we overlooked this clear sign of danger. Ina decided to join me and just when she was half way there, she saw a big grizzly behind me! He was still about a 150 yards away from me, but he didn't look friendly. Ina shouted at me, but the noises of the current were much too loud for me to hear what she was saying. I just waved at her and continued fishing. She cried louder and louder, and when Joe also started to shout at me, I suddenly felt there must be something wrong. When they both pointed behind me, I finally saw what worried them. Ina and Joe ran to the dock and jumped into one of the boats. Miraculously the engine started immediately. I knew that you never should run away from a grizzly, because they can see you as bait, and so I started to reel in my line slowly, and carefully walked backwards while keep my eyes fixed on the grizzly. I have always been gentle to animals, and I have my own thoughts about dangerous animals as well. I had fished between black bears in BC several times and tried to be one with nature.
I talked with them and they never bothered me. I also had a very close encounter with a grizzly and cub before, and nothing happened. I believed that when you don't harm them and don't show any fear, that they just would ignore you too. It worked well for me many times. While I gazed at this impressive grizzly, I knew directly that this wouldn't be a friendly meeting. The hairs on his back were all up, and he was shaking his head and even showing some teeth. Then when I just had reeled in my line halfway, he started to run and "my gosh" he ran like a racing horse straight towards me! I didn't like that and didn't know what to do, so instinctively I began to run to the boat, which could be my only rescue. I ran fast, and I don't think I never ran that fast either! I still had the rod in my hand, and the line was following straight in the air! The bear knew this area well and seemed to be a clever one too, because he took a short cut! We didn't see him for a moment, but as soon I jumped in the boat, he was on the shore too, standing on his hind feet in all his glory! Joe moved the boat backwards, and Ina was so cool that she even took a picture of him. Of course it was a dangerous situation, and nobody knows what would have happened if there had been no boat available, but I didn't really feel scared, and I just can't explain it. While we sitting in the boat, a lot of things became clear to us. The noise that Ina had heard and the moose and calf that were fleeing by jumping into the lake were all warning signs, which we had disregarded. It was also the first time ever that Joe forgot his gun! The funny thing about this all is that the nameless creek now has a name (Grizzly Creek), and I suddenly realised how all those fancy names all over North America originated.

Shortly after this amazing experience, the chopper arrived and brought us to the most eastern of the Pelly Lakes where Steve, Tammy and Roy were all ears for our big story. We had coffee and a snack, and while we were waiting for Roy to prepare the boats, we passed the time as we always do, walking around the area and observing the tracks of moose and wolf. As soon the boats were ready, we split up again. While Ina and I tried the river that connects the Pelly Lakes, Steve and Tammy were slowly moving further east where the Ptarmigan River runs into the Pelly Lakes. That was the place we would meet later to try for Inconnu together. Meanwhile I found an excellent way of catching very large white fish by using a dark green caseless caddis nymph. I really loved this place. I was sure that this river could bring up some huge grayling to my dry flies, and it did. Time went quickly, and if we wanted to try for Inconnu, we had to leave.

It took us about 30 minutes to join the others, and the boat trip was fantastic. We saw many moose feeding while they were standing deep in the water. Together with Roy, Steve and Tammy, we tried really hard for Inconnu. I hooked one and lost it, but most important for me was that I knew we could catch them by flies. We only needed the right flies. Tammy and Steve both did well with spoons for Lake trout, but I guess we needed more time to learn about this spot. We fished for a few hours and then we returned to the outpost cabin, where Roy prepared a wonderful lunch for us. After lunch we returned to the first spot again, where we tried to catch some pike. Ina caught a very nice one and I had three, but at that moment, I preferred to fish the river again. I was dropped on shore, and I fished my way down stream for a while. I did extremely well for those larger whitefish, and really enjoyed it. I wished it was possible to explore this river longer but we heard the chopper coming, and we had to return to the main lodge again.

One of the most exclusive trips was saved for our last day at Inconnu Lodge. We flew to Fortin Lake, where we started a wonderful jet boat trip all the way to the Pelly Lakes. For all of us it was a great opportunity to see the origin of the majestic Pelly River. For me personally, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to discover what species of fish inhabit this area. I had already seen the river from the air, and it looked to me like a perfect grayling area. Fly fishing for pike was on the schedule first. The weather looked very nice, there was hardly any wind, and with a little luck we would be able to see the fish and cast to them. To be a perfect predator, a pike needs ideal hiding places from which he can attack quickly and unexpectedly. The pike is a master of camouflage, and his body shape makes it possible to hide almost anywhere. Pike love warm shallow water, especially when weeds provide cover. I think a jet or belly boat is the best method of transport when you are going after pike. To find pike at Fortin Lake wasn't very difficult when you are in the company of such experienced guides as Roy and Joe. Fortin Lake has some very nice, weedy shallow bays, and it was Ina who found the first pike. She hooked and landed some very good size fish. It was thrilling to see how she expertly dropped the fly among the weeds and seduce the ravenous pike out their hiding places to aggressively attack the would be prey. We had hit upon a marvelous spot, but then our luck changed for the worse. As they say in the Yukon, "If you don't like the weather, just wait a minute." A nasty mountain wind whipped up and soon obscured our vision. White caps came up quickly, forcing us to take to the river to find some shelter. Roy knew of a secret spot full of weeds, and brimming with pike. It was just an awesome place! In less then 2 hours we caught 23 pike with several measuring well over one meter! The wind brought with it some heavy rain as well, and when most of us were soaking wet, theweather became really unpleasant. This most beautiful trip to the headwaters of the Pelly River was still a spectacular adventure, but what I really regret is that the heavy rain prevented me from capturing it all on film.

Always looking out for the comfort and safety of his guests, Roy decided to bring us to an outpost camp to warm up, since ahead of us, we still had a very long trip to the helicopter pickup point. This thoughtfulness and consideration was much appreciated by the entire group. The cold didn't bother me personally, because I am used to fishing in this kind of weather. While everybody was warming up, Joe and I returned to the river, where I taught him how to catch those nice big whitefish. This, for me, was the perfect ending to our unforgettable Inconnu adventure.