Lac des Plaines Fishing in Côte-Nord, Quebec

• Overview

  Set in Côte-Nord, Quebec, this is Lac des Plaines. Tidal water begins 0.9 km from here. Surface area is around 97 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. The edge runs 4.6 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Ground here is low by Quebec standards. You are 4.9 km from Havre-Saint-Pierre. The big place round here is Sydney, 523 km distant. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Plaines

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Across Côte-Nord, recorded fish include logperch. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Lac des Plaines light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 16°C, the coldest about -14°C. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early May. Ice clears near early May and comes back about late November in a typical year. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lac des Plaines.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. 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. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Lac a Lionel is 3.7 km off. Check the position on Lac des Plaines before loading the car.