| Assinica Lake | |
| Location: | Eeyou Istchee James Bay Regional Government |
| Type: | Natural |
| Outflow: | Assinica Lake |
| Pushpin Map: | Quebec |
| Basin Countries: | Canada |
Assinica Lake is a fresh water body on the hydrographic slope of the Assinica River and Broadback Rivers, flowing into the Municipality of Eeyou Istchee Bay- James (municipality), in the administrative region of Nord-du-Québec, in Quebec, Canada.
Lake Opataca is part of a group of lakes at the head of the Assinica River. Forestry is the main economic activity of the sector. Recreational tourism activities come second.
The nearest forest road is located at south-east of the lake, the road skirting Mount Opémisca from the north; this road joins Southbound on route 113 connecting Lebel-sur-Quévillon to Chibougamau and the Canadian National Railway.
The surface of Opataca Lake is usually frozen from early November to mid-May, however, safe ice circulation is generally mid-November to mid-April.
The term "Assinica" has been assigned by the Commission de toponymie du Québec to the lake, the river and the Wildlife Reserve.
Of Cree origin, the term "Assinica" derives from the term "Asinikaw", whose roots are "asini, pierre and kaw" (verbal suffix equivalent to the verb "to be" in French), meaning "filled with stones".
The old map documents indicate that prior to 1932 the term applied to a set of lakes on the same hydrographic slope. Today, Assinica now only refers to the most westerly hydrographic entity. The spelling of the place name Assinica has long been spelled "Assinika".
Covering an area of 8,885 km2, the Assinica Wildlife Refuge encircles the lake.[1]
The toponym lac Assinica was formalized on December 5, 1968, at the Commission de toponymie du Québec.[2]