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

• Overview

  Lac Ikaarturiaq is set in Nord-du-Québec, Quebec. Height above sea level is 35 metres. Surface area runs to roughly 1.05 sq km, so plan for one area rather than the whole. Some 8.7 km of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. It lies lower than most water we list in Quebec. The town to know is Inukjuak, 50 km out. Saguenay sits 1166 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lac Ikaarturiaq

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Fish documented in Nord-du-Québec include Arctic charr, brook trout and lake trout. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Anyone new to Lac Ikaarturiaq should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 12°C, the coldest about -24°C. Everything is compressed into the middle of the year. After early June the shallows warm and the fish move up. Break-up near early June, freeze-up near early November: that is the shape of an average year. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lac Ikaarturiaq.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Lac Innaaruliapik is 1.8 km distant. Treat access at Lac Ikaarturiaq as something to verify.