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

• Overview

  Quebec holds Lac du Balai, in Côte-Nord. The bank is 487 metres above sea level. At about 25 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The whole outline is near 3.1 km, and most of it is walkable. The closest town, Forestville, is 59 km distant. Beyond it, Betsiamites at 76 km and Les Escoumins at 88 km. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Balai

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Open biodiversity records for Côte-Nord list logperch. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Read Lac du Balai for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -18°C in January and 16°C in July. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early May until roughly mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Lac du Balai.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. For the perch, a small jig tipped with worm, dropped along the edges, is hard to beat. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Petit lac Beaudin sits 2 km off and takes the overflow. For Lac du Balai in particular, ask before you travel.