Lac a la Croix Fishing near Métabetchouan, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac a la Croix falls in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, part of Quebec. It sits in taiga country. Métabetchouan lies 30 km from the water. Then Desbiens, 36 km, and Chambord, 37 km. Others worth noting: Lac Cote some 1.2 km off, Lac Truite at 1.7 km, Petit lac a l'Ours some 1.8 km off, Grand lac a l'Ours at 1.9 km and Petit lac du Cure some 2.8 km off. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lac a la Croix

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean records list northern pike, Atlantic salmon and lake whitefish among the fish reported. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Lac a la Croix responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 17°C in July and bottoms out near -17°C in January. The season is measured in weeks rather than months. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early May. Ice clears near early May and comes back about mid November in a typical year. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lac a la Croix.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Lac Cote, 1.2 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm access to Lac a la Croix locally before you travel.