Lac des Caribous in Côte-Nord: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Quebec holds Lac des Caribous, in Côte-Nord. It stands 423 metres above sea level. This is sizeable water at about 1.89 sq km, and a boat opens up most of it. There is roughly 8.3 km of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. It ranks high for size among our Côte-Nord listings. The closest town, Forestville, is 75 km away. Saguenay sits 117 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Caribous

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Across Côte-Nord, recorded fish include logperch. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The shape of Lac des Caribous rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -18°C to 16°C. A short, intense season is the rule this far north. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly early May. Break-up sits around early May on average, with the water closing again about mid November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. At Lac des Caribous the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. For the perch, a small jig tipped with worm, dropped along the edges, is hard to beat. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Lac Ibis is 2 km distant. Rules at Lac des Caribous are worth checking on the day.