Fishing at Lac Motaghao, Côte-Nord, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Motaghao is a Côte-Nord water, Quebec side. It sits 19 km in from the sea. With some 36 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Bank access stretches around 3.9 km in total. Start from Port-Cartier, 23 km down the road. Saguenay is the closest city, 337 km away. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lac Motaghao

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Records held for Côte-Nord cover logperch. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. The near bank of Lac Motaghao is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 16°C, the coldest about -16°C. Cold dominates the year and the fishing works around it. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early May. Climate figures give an open season running early May to mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Time your trip to Lac Motaghao by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. For the perch, a small jig tipped with worm, dropped along the edges, is hard to beat. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. If the gate is shut, Lac Philibert at 0.6 km is the nearest alternative. Signs at Lac Motaghao carry more weight than any list.