Lac Cordelier in Nord-du-Québec: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac Cordelier belongs to Nord-du-Québec, Quebec. It sits at 469 metres above sea level. The water covers around 6.25 sq km, which puts most of it out of reach from the bank. The perimeter is close to 29 km, and wind can be flat in one arm and rough in the next. It ranks among the bigger water on our Quebec list. Kuujjuaq sits 322 km from the bank. Saguenay sits 786 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac Cordelier

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Records held for Nord-du-Québec cover Arctic charr, brook trout, lake trout and lake whitefish. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Anyone new to Lac Cordelier should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 12°C, while January sits near -25°C. The window is narrow, and fish feed hard while it lasts. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early June. In an average year the thaw lands around early June and the freeze near late October. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Lac Cordelier runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. If the gate is shut, Lac Jeanmaire at 2.4 km is the nearest alternative. Where Lac Cordelier is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.