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

• Overview

  Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean in Quebec is where Lac Dart sits. It sits at 476 metres above sea level. It covers about 6 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. For supplies, Saint-Félicien is 59 km out. Normandin follows at 64 km, then Saint-Prime at 65 km. Round about: Lac Lark 1.2 km away, Lac Solar just 1.5 km, Lac Sorbus 1.7 km away, Lac des Taons just 2.4 km and Lac Rowco 3 km away. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac Dart

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Fish documented in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean 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. On Lac Dart the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 16°C and January reads -18°C. The year here is short and sharp: a long lid, then a burst of open water. The lid usually goes in early May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Break-up sits around early May on average, with the water closing again about mid November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Time your trip to Lac Dart by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. 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. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Lac Lark at 1.2 km is the sensible second choice. Nothing on Lac Dart should be assumed from this page alone.