Lac a l'Orignal in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac a l'Orignal is a Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean water, Quebec side. It stands 658 metres above sea level. Compared with other Quebec water on our list, it sits high. The nearest town is Saint-Fulgence, 56 km away. Saint-Honoré is 61 km away, with La Baie at 65 km. Near neighbours: Lac du Goeland at about 0.8 km, Lac du Repos within 0.8 km, Lac de la Limite at about 1.6 km, Lac Aurore within 1.7 km and Lac Botte at about 1.7 km. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac a l'Orignal

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. 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. 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. Read Lac a l'Orignal for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 15°C and January reads -19°C. The fishing year opens late and shuts early. Winter locks it down, and mid May brings it back. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid May and starts locking again about early November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. It holds true on Lac a l'Orignal more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Lac du Goeland is 0.8 km distant. Treat Lac a l'Orignal as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.