Fishing at Lac Shirley, Côte-Nord, Quebec

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac Shirley falls inside Côte-Nord. Elevation runs to 522 metres. Small even by pond standards, it rewards one careful line. On size it sits at the modest end of our Côte-Nord list. The nearest town is Saint-Honoré, 119 km away. It is 130 km to Saguenay, the nearest city. Others close at hand: Lac Mariette lies 0.5 km on, Lac Tanguay at 1.6 km, Lac Augustin lies 2.2 km on, Lac Thibeault at 2.3 km and Lac Silo lies 2.4 km on. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Lac Shirley

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Fish documented in Côte-Nord include logperch. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. On Lac Shirley the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -19°C to 16°C. Water stays cold even at the height of the year. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid May. Averages suggest open water from about mid May through to roughly mid November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. That is the shape of the year on Lac Shirley.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. For the perch, a small jig tipped with worm, dropped along the edges, is hard to beat. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. If the gate is shut, Lac Mariette at 0.5 km is the nearest alternative. For Lac Shirley in particular, ask before you travel.