Fishing Lac Magique in Côte-Nord, Quebec

• Overview

  Out in Côte-Nord, Quebec, sits Lac Magique. Height above sea level is 340 metres. This is a pocket water of some 5 hectares, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Our Côte-Nord list holds plenty of bigger water. The closest town, Sept-Îles, is 30 km distant. After that come Port-Cartier at 30 km and Saint-Alexandre at 31 km. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Magique

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Côte-Nord records list logperch among the fish reported. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Work Lac Magique in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -17°C to 15°C. A short, intense season is the rule this far north. After mid May the shallows warm and the fish move up. Break-up near mid May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. That is the shape of the year on Lac Magique.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. For the perch, a small jig tipped with worm, dropped along the edges, is hard to beat. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. The nearest alternative is Lac Gilles, 0.4 km out. Signs at Lac Magique carry more weight than any list.