Lac Croche Fishing, SE of Albanel, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Croche is one of the Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean waters in Quebec. The bank is 208 metres above sea level. It runs to roughly 20 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Shoreline comes to about 3.6 km, small enough to learn in a day. It is low-lying compared with other Quebec water we list. The closest town, Albanel, is 28 km away. Saguenay is the closest city, 138 km away. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lac Croche

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean include northern pike, Atlantic salmon and lake whitefish. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. On Lac Croche a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 17°C in July and bottom out at -20°C in January. Long winters and short summers set the pattern. Ice is part of the season here, ending near early May. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early May until roughly mid November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. The season on Lac Croche rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Lac Long is 1.7 km distant. What applies at Lac Croche may have changed since it was mapped.