Lac a l'Ours Fishing near L'Ascension-de-Notre-Seigneur, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac a l'Ours lies in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec. The bank is 237 metres above sea level. The water covers some 46 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The shoreline runs about 7.7 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. On our Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean list it sits near the top for size. The closest town, L'Ascension-de-Notre-Seigneur, is 20 km distant. For a city, Saguenay is 63 km off. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lac a l'Ours

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Survey and observation records for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean include northern pike, Atlantic salmon, lake whitefish and fallfish. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Read Lac a l'Ours before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -18°C in January to roughly 17°C in July. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Open water usually runs from early May until about mid November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Lac a l'Ours fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Lac Belley at 2.3 km is the sensible second choice. Treat access at Lac a l'Ours as something to verify.