Fishing Lac Shamrock in Nord-du-Québec, Quebec

• Overview

  Within Nord-du-Québec, Quebec, you have Lac Shamrock. Land around it is taiga. The water covers some 21 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. There is roughly 3.5 km of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. On size it sits at the modest end of our Nord-du-Québec list. Some 25 km away sits Chapais, the nearest settlement. Saguenay is the closest city, 339 km away. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lac Shamrock

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Reported across Nord-du-Québec: Arctic charr, brook trout, lake trout, lake whitefish and cisco. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Lac Shamrock gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 16°C in July and bottoms out near -20°C in January. This far north the hard season runs and runs. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early May and starts locking again about mid November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. On Lac Shamrock the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. For a change of water, Lac Louis is 2.3 km distant. For Lac Shamrock in particular, ask before you travel.