Lac Shortt Fishing in Nord-du-Québec, Quebec

• Overview

  Out in Nord-du-Québec, Quebec, sits Lac Shortt. The bank is 306 metres above sea level. Roughly 1.94 sq km of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. Some 8.5 km of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. The nearest place of any size is Waswanipi, 26 km away. Chapais is 76 km away, with Lebel-sur-Quévillon at 102 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lac Shortt

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. 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, lake whitefish and cisco. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Lac Shortt repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 16°C in July and bottoms out near -19°C in January. Winter runs most of the calendar, and everything worth doing happens in the gap. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early May. From about early May to around mid November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Plan around that when you fish Lac Shortt.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. The nearest alternative is Lac Billy, 12 km out. Where Lac Shortt is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.