Fishing at Lac Natupikwaw, Nord-du-Québec, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Natupikwaw lies in Nord-du-Québec, in Quebec. Around the bank it is spruce and muskeg. It runs to roughly 29 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The whole outline is near 2.9 km, and most of it is walkable. Our Nord-du-Québec list holds plenty of bigger water. For supplies, Chisasibi is 96 km out. Sanikiluaq is 260 km away, with Waskaganish at 325 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lac Natupikwaw

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Open biodiversity records for Nord-du-Québec list Arctic charr, brook trout and lake trout. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Take Lac Natupikwaw a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 14°C, while January sits near -24°C. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid May. Expect the water usable from around mid May until roughly early November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. The season on Lac Natupikwaw rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Lac Kaministikuch is 11 km off. Rules at Lac Natupikwaw are worth checking on the day.