Fishing at Lac Croque-Mort, Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Croque-Mort is a Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean water, in Quebec. The bank is 424 metres above sea level. It covers about 9 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Start from Saint-Prime, 37 km down the road. Roberval follows at 37 km, then Saint-Félicien at 38 km. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lac Croque-Mort

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Open biodiversity records for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean list 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. At Lac Croque-Mort the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 16°C; by January the average is down near -18°C. Winter runs most of the calendar, and everything worth doing happens in the gap. The lid usually goes in early May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Averages suggest open water from about early May through to roughly mid November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Lac Croque-Mort.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Failing this one, try Lac de la Truite Noire, 0.9 km away. The position on Lac Croque-Mort is worth confirming on the day.