Lac Botz Fishing in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Botz is set in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec. The surface lies 377 metres up. It covers about 3 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It is a small entry by Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean standards. Supplies mean a trip to Chibougamau, 81 km off. Beyond it, Normandin at 99 km and Albanel at 99 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lac Botz

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Survey and observation records for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean include 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. At Lac Botz the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -19°C in January up to 16°C in July. The ice season is long here and the open one short. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from early May. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. On Lac Botz that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Lac Barc, 1.4 km away, makes the obvious fallback. For Lac Botz in particular, ask before you travel.