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

• Overview

  Quebec holds Lac Rivier, in Nord-du-Québec. The setting is spruce and muskeg. This is big water, about 10.02 sq km, and in a wind it behaves like a small sea. At about 52 km of edge, most people fish a single area and learn it well. Few waters listed in Nord-du-Québec are bigger. The nearest place of any size is Kuujjuaq, 241 km away. The nearest city of size is Saguenay, 1213 km away. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Rivier

  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. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for Nord-du-Québec cover Arctic charr, brook trout, lake trout and lake whitefish. The county list is broader than any single water. Work Lac Rivier in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -24°C and July at about 11°C, the water has a wide range to work through. The ice season is long here and the open one short. Ice is part of the season here, ending near mid June. Ice clears near mid June and comes back about late October in a typical year. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Plan around that when you fish Lac Rivier.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Should this one be busy, Lac Ney is 12 km off. Rules at Lac Rivier are worth checking on the day.