Lac Boily in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac Boily is one of the Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean waters in Quebec. The bank gives way to northern bush. At 6 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Compared with other Quebec water on our list, it sits high. Saint-Honoré sits 45 km from here and is the nearest stop. Beyond it, Saint-Fulgence at 50 km and Saint-Ambroise at 53 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac Boily

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Fish documented in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean include northern pike, Atlantic salmon and lake whitefish. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Work Lac Boily in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 15°C, with January the cold end at about -19°C. A short, intense season is the rule this far north. Once it clears, about mid May, the fishing comes on quickly. Average temperatures cross freezing around mid May in spring and again near early November in autumn. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. On Lac Boily the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. The slipway at Débarcadère is 590 m away. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Lac Pauvre at 1 km is the sensible second choice. Signs at Lac Boily carry more weight than any list.