Fishing at Lac Besain, Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Besain lies in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec. Elevation runs to 395 metres. Small at around 5 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Supplies mean a trip to Chibougamau, 79 km off. Saguenay sits 226 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Others close at hand: Lac Lantriac just 0.6 km, Lac Walter a shade over 1.3 km, Lac Boismont just 2.7 km, Lac Aigremont a shade over 2.9 km and Lac Tendon just 4 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lac Besain

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Reported across Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean: 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. Read Lac Besain before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 16°C and January near -19°C. The season is measured in weeks rather than months. Winter locks it down, and early May brings it back. Climate averages put the opening at about early May and the closing near mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. That is the shape of the year on Lac Besain.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Picnic facilities are recorded some 1.3 km out. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Failing this one, try Lac Lantriac, 0.6 km away. The position on Lac Besain is worth confirming on the day.