Lac Astier Fishing Guide, Nord-du-Québec, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Astier is set in Nord-du-Québec, Quebec. It sits in spruce and muskeg country. It covers about 4 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Nord-du-Québec. For a base, Chibougamau sits 57 km out. Further out sit Chapais (67 km) and Mistissini (110 km). Close by you have: Lac Carci 0.4 km, Lac du Bannok some 1.1 km off, Lac du Crouton 1.8 km, Lac Baily some 2 km off and Lac du Kayak 2.2 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lac Astier

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Public occurrence data for Nord-du-Québec names Arctic charr, brook trout, lake trout and lake whitefish. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Read Lac Astier before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 16°C; by January the average is down near -19°C. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. The lid usually goes in early May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. In an average year the thaw lands around early May and the freeze near mid November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Lac Astier runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. If the gate is shut, Lac Carci at 0.4 km is the nearest alternative. For Lac Astier in particular, ask before you travel.