Lac Qikirtalik in Nord-du-Québec: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac Qikirtalik is set in Nord-du-Québec, Quebec. Height above sea level is 333 metres. Around 41 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. The bank runs about 3.4 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. The nearest place of any size is Salluit, 8.5 km away. Kinngait is 238 km away, with Puvirnituq at 251 km. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Lac Qikirtalik

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Open biodiversity records for Nord-du-Québec list Arctic charr, brook trout, lake trout and lake whitefish. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Lac Qikirtalik the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 9°C; the cold one sits at -26°C. Cold dominates the calendar on water this far north. Break-up comes around late June, and the run that follows is short and strong. Averages suggest open water from about late June through to roughly early October. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lac Qikirtalik.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Failing this one, try Lac Qattaujaaluttalik, 1.5 km away. Check the position on Lac Qikirtalik before loading the car.