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

• Overview

  Look for Lac MacIntosh in Nord-du-Québec, Quebec. The surface lies 346 metres up. Roughly 98 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The margin runs to about 6.5 km in total. The nearest town is Chapais, 30 km away. Waswanipi lies 67 km off, Chibougamau another 68 km. Other water nearby: Lac Waite 3.8 km, Lac O'Melia a shade over 4.6 km, Lac Anville 6.4 km, Lac Beauchesne a shade over 6.9 km and Lac Kitty 7 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lac MacIntosh

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Across Nord-du-Québec, recorded fish include Arctic charr, brook trout, lake trout and lake whitefish. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Anyone new to Lac MacIntosh should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 16°C; by January the average is down near -19°C. Everything is compressed into the middle of the year. Count the season from break-up, usually early May. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about mid November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Lac MacIntosh.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. If the gate is shut, Lac Waite at 3.8 km is the nearest alternative. Nothing here settles the position at Lac MacIntosh for certain.