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

• Overview

  Look for Lac Chicoutimi in the Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean part of Quebec. The water sits 436 metres up. It measures about 28 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The full circuit measures close to 3.4 km on foot. It is among the larger waters listed here for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean. Roberval sits 43 km from the bank. Métabetchouan lies 45 km off, Chambord another 46 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lac Chicoutimi

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Survey and observation records for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean include northern pike, Atlantic salmon, lake whitefish and fallfish. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. The shape of Lac Chicoutimi rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -17°C and July at about 17°C, the water has a wide range to work through. Cold dominates the calendar on water this far north. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early May. The open-water window runs from around early May to about mid November in an average year. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. The season on Lac Chicoutimi follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Lac de la Chute is 0.7 km off. Where Lac Chicoutimi is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.