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

• Overview

  Lac Cleophe sits in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, out in Quebec. Height above sea level is 498 metres. The water covers some 28 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Shoreline comes to about 4.6 km, small enough to learn in a day. You are 28 km from Labrecque. Then L'Ascension-de-Notre-Seigneur, 34 km, and Saint-Ambroise, 36 km. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Cleophe

  We hold no depth figure for this one. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Fish documented in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean include northern pike, Atlantic salmon, lake whitefish and fallfish. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Lac Cleophe gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 16°C on average, January about -18°C. Water stays cold even at the height of the year. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. Climate figures give an open season running early May to mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Lac Cleophe runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. The nearest alternative is Lac Guy, 0.9 km out. The position on Lac Cleophe is worth confirming on the day.