Lac des Quatre Pilotis Fishing in Côte-Nord, Quebec

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac des Quatre Pilotis falls inside Côte-Nord. It sits at 478 metres above sea level. This is a pocket water of some 9 hectares, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. The bank runs about 1.6 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. For a base, Port-Cartier sits 87 km out. Saint-Alexandre is 88 km and Sept-Îles 89 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Quatre Pilotis

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Open biodiversity records for Côte-Nord list logperch. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Lac des Quatre Pilotis gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 14°C; the cold one sits at -19°C. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. Look for the thaw near mid May; the fishing lifts straight after. Break-up near mid May, freeze-up near early November: that is the shape of an average year. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Plan around that when you fish Lac des Quatre Pilotis.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. For the perch, a small jig tipped with worm, dropped along the edges, is hard to beat. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Lac des Routes Longues, 4.5 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm before you fish Lac des Quatre Pilotis.