Lac du Bouton in Nord-du-Québec: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  You will find Lac du Bouton in Nord-du-Québec, Quebec. The surroundings are northern bush. It runs to roughly 13 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. About 1.7 km of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. On size it sits at the modest end of our Nord-du-Québec list. Nearest town is Chibougamau, 30 km off. After that come Chapais at 58 km and Mistissini at 77 km. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Bouton

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Records held for Nord-du-Québec cover Arctic charr, brook trout, lake trout, lake whitefish and cisco. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Lac du Bouton the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 16°C and January at -19°C. The fishing year opens late and shuts early. Winter locks it down, and early May brings it back. Open water usually runs from early May until about mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Lac du Bouton runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Lac Melpomene sits 1.4 km off and takes the overflow. Rules at Lac du Bouton are worth checking on the day.