Lac Charley Fishing near Chibougamau, Quebec

• Overview

  Look for Lac Charley in Nord-du-Québec, Quebec. The water sits 393 metres up. About 9 hectares of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. On size it sits at the modest end of our Nord-du-Québec list. The closest town, Chibougamau, is 4.7 km distant. It is 292 km to Saguenay, the nearest city. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Charley

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Nord-du-Québec records list Arctic charr, brook trout, lake trout, lake whitefish and cisco among the fish reported. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. On Lac Charley a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 16°C and January reads -19°C. Long winters and short summers set the pattern. Count the season from break-up, usually early May. In an average year the thaw lands around early May and the freeze near mid November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. That is the shape of the year on Lac Charley.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. You can camp 870 m off, which suits an early start. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. For a change of water, Lac Sauvage is 1.8 km distant. Where Lac Charley is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.