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

• Overview

  Lac Pitaval sits in Nord-du-Québec, out in Quebec. The surroundings are northern bush. At 2.54 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. Some 11 km of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. Labrador City lies 389 km from the water. After that come Fermont at 390 km and Wabush at 394 km. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lac Pitaval

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Fish documented in Nord-du-Québec include Arctic charr, brook trout, lake trout and lake whitefish. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Lac Pitaval gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 13°C at the top of summer and -24°C at the bottom of winter. Cold dominates the calendar on water this far north. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late May. The lid tends to go about late May and return around early November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Plan any trip to Lac Pitaval around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. If the gate is shut, Lac Bresolles at 9.2 km is the nearest alternative. For Lac Pitaval in particular, ask before you travel.