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

• Overview

  Lac Clair falls in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, part of Quebec. Elevation runs to 621 metres. Around 30 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. Shoreline comes to about 3.4 km, small enough to learn in a day. On our Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean list it sits near the top for size. For supplies, Normandin is 74 km out. After that come Leblanc at 78 km and Saint-Félicien at 79 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Clair

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Across Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, recorded fish include 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. Lac Clair gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 15°C and January at -19°C. This is a two-season water: locked, then wide open. Once it clears, about early May, the fishing comes on quickly. The open-water window runs from around early May to about early November in an average year. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. The season on Lac Clair rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Failing this one, try Lac Long, 0.8 km away. Confirm before you fish Lac Clair.