Fishing Lac Charles-Lacroix in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec

• Overview

  The Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean entry here is Lac Charles-Lacroix, in Quebec. Everything around it is spruce and muskeg. At some 2.27 sq km it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. The margin runs to about 18 km in total. On our Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean list it sits near the top for size. The closest town, Normandin, is 82 km distant. It is 199 km to Saguenay, the nearest city. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Lac Charles-Lacroix

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Fish documented in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean include northern pike, Atlantic salmon and lake whitefish. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Work Lac Charles-Lacroix in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 16°C and January at -19°C. Cold dominates the year and the fishing works around it. Ice is part of the season here, ending near early May. Open water usually runs from early May until about mid November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. It holds true on Lac Charles-Lacroix more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. 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. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Failing this one, try Lac Riboux, 1.7 km away. Ask locally about Lac Charles-Lacroix if anything is unclear.