Fishing Lac Tonnancour in Nord-du-Québec, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Tonnancour is a Nord-du-Québec water, in Quebec. The surface lies 348 metres up. It runs to roughly 84 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. With 6.9 km or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. For supplies, Lebel-sur-Quévillon is 21 km out. It is 388 km to Gatineau, the nearest city. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lac Tonnancour

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. 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. 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. Fish Lac Tonnancour where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -18°C to 16°C. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early May. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early May and starts locking again about mid November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Lac Tonnancour.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Should this one be busy, Lac Berquin is 2 km off. Signs at Lac Tonnancour carry more weight than any list.