Fishing Lac au Rat in Nord-du-Québec, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac au Rat lies in Nord-du-Québec, in Quebec. It sits at 262 metres above sea level. Surface area is around 80 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. The edge runs 3.8 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. For a base, Matagami sits 39 km out. Lebel-sur-Quévillon follows at 121 km, then Macamic at 132 km. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac au Rat

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Nord-du-Québec cover Arctic charr, brook trout and lake trout. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Read Lac au Rat for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 16°C, while January sits near -19°C. This is a two-season water: locked, then wide open. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early May. Averages place the thaw at early May and the freeze at mid November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Lac au Rat fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Lac La Gauchetiere sits 3.8 km off and takes the overflow. What applies at Lac au Rat may have changed since it was mapped.