Fishing at Lac Grande Coulee, Côte-Nord, Quebec

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac Grande Coulee belongs to Côte-Nord. The bank is 178 metres above sea level. Surface area is around 49 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. With about 4.3 km of edge, you can try several depths in one session. It lies lower than most water we list in Quebec. For supplies, Maliotenam is 18 km out. It is 412 km to Saguenay, the nearest city. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lac Grande Coulee

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Across Côte-Nord, recorded fish include logperch. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. At Lac Grande Coulee light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -16°C and July at about 16°C, the water has a wide range to work through. Everything is compressed into the middle of the year. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early May. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Lac Grande Coulee runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. For the perch, a small jig tipped with worm, dropped along the edges, is hard to beat. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. If the gate is shut, Lac Gode at 1.4 km is the nearest alternative. Where Lac Grande Coulee is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.