Lac Beaufou, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac Beaufou falls inside Nord-du-Québec. The surface lies 415 metres up. Surface area runs to about 8 hectares — small enough to read in one session. Most waters listed here for Nord-du-Québec are larger. Chibougamau is the closest place, 45 km off. It is 254 km to Saguenay, the nearest city. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac Beaufou

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. County-wide records name Arctic charr, brook trout, lake trout, lake whitefish and cisco. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Lac Beaufou gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 16°C and January near -19°C. Ice holds for a long stretch, so the open weeks matter more here than further south. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly early May. The lid tends to go about early May and return around mid November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Lac Beaufou runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. For a change of water, Lac du Meteore is 1.2 km distant. None of that is settled for Lac Beaufou in what we hold.