Lac Cardonnet Fishing Guide, Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Cardonnet lies within the bounds of Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec. It lies 359 metres above sea level. Surface area is around 29 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. About 3.5 km of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. Size puts it in the front rank of our Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean list. Head to Chibougamau, 78 km away, for anything you forgot. Saguenay is the closest city, 215 km away. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Lac Cardonnet

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Reported across Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean: northern pike, Atlantic salmon, lake whitefish and fallfish. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. The shape of Lac Cardonnet decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 16°C, with January the cold end at about -19°C. Long winters and short summers set the pattern. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around early May. The open-water window runs from around early May to about mid November in an average year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Lac Cardonnet runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. The nearest alternative is Lac Daguilne, 0.9 km out. For Lac Cardonnet, the notice at the access point is the final word.