Lac Eric Fishing in Nord-du-Québec, Quebec

• Overview

  Quebec holds Lac Eric, in Nord-du-Québec. The bank is 271 metres above sea level. It runs to roughly 29 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The full circuit measures close to 3.4 km on foot. Our Nord-du-Québec list holds plenty of bigger water. Matagami is the closest town at 73 km. La Sarre follows at 147 km, then Macamic at 148 km. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lac Eric

  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. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Fish documented in Nord-du-Québec include Arctic charr, brook trout, lake trout and lake whitefish. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. On Lac Eric the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -19°C in January to roughly 16°C in July. This far north the hard season runs and runs. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early May. Averages suggest open water from about early May through to roughly mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. The season on Lac Eric follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Lac Augustin is 3.8 km off. Where Lac Eric is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.