Fishing Grand lac Clair in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec

• Overview

  Grand lac Clair is one of the Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean listings for Quebec. It stands 183 metres above sea level. It measures about 42 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Around 3.9 km of margin, front to back. Size puts it in the front rank of our Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean list. Supplies mean a trip to Pont Rouge, 18 km off. Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc is 19 km and Sainte-Monique 25 km. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Grand lac Clair

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Survey and observation records for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean include northern pike, Atlantic salmon and lake whitefish. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Grand lac Clair repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 17°C on average, January about -19°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. Climate averages put the opening at about early May and the closing near mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. It sets the rhythm of the year at Grand lac Clair.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. If the gate is shut, Petit Lac Clair at 1.1 km is the nearest alternative. Nothing here settles the position at Grand lac Clair for certain.