Lac du Bal in Côte-Nord: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Côte-Nord, Quebec, is where Lac du Bal sits. The bank gives way to spruce and muskeg. It covers about 3 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It is a small entry by Côte-Nord standards. Forestville lies 82 km from the water. The nearest city of size is Saguenay, 97 km away. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Bal

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. 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. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The shape of Lac du Bal decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 16°C in July and bottoms out near -18°C in January. The season is measured in weeks rather than months. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around early May. Expect the water usable from around early May until roughly mid November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Lac du Bal.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. For the perch, a small jig tipped with worm, dropped along the edges, is hard to beat. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Lac du Protet at 1.3 km is the sensible second choice. Check the position on Lac du Bal before loading the car.