Lac Forbes Fishing Guide, Nord-du-Québec, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Forbes is a Nord-du-Québec water, in Quebec. It sits in spruce and muskeg. Around 14.50 sq km of open water: conditions change from one end to the other. At about 20 km of edge, most people work one arm at a time. On our Nord-du-Québec list it sits near the top for size. Kuujjuaq lies 122 km from the water. After that come Nain at 499 km and Inukjuak at 507 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac Forbes

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Species logged across Nord-du-Québec include Arctic charr, brook trout, lake trout and lake whitefish. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Lac Forbes fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -25°C to 12°C. The ice season is long here and the open one short. Once it clears, about early June, the fishing comes on quickly. Ice clears near early June and comes back about late October in a typical year. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Time your trip to Lac Forbes by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Lac Natwayasu, 3.4 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Lac Forbes is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.