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

• Overview

  Nord-du-Québec, Quebec, is where Lac Le Gantier sits. It sits at 349 metres above sea level. At some 1.19 sq km it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. You are looking at roughly 7.8 km of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. Supplies mean a trip to Chapais, 17 km off. Then Chibougamau, 49 km, and Waswanipi, 93 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lac Le Gantier

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Public occurrence data for Nord-du-Québec names Arctic charr, brook trout, lake trout, lake whitefish and cisco. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. The near bank of Lac Le Gantier is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 16°C on average, January about -19°C. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from early May. Climate figures give an open season running early May to mid November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. The season on Lac Le Gantier rarely departs from it.

• 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. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Lac la Ressource sits 1.3 km off and takes the overflow. Nothing on Lac Le Gantier should be assumed from this page alone.