Lac de la Belle Randonnee Fishing in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac de la Belle Randonnee falls in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, part of Quebec. The ground around here is northern bush. You are 80 km from Pont Rouge. Labrecque is 80 km away, with Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc at 81 km. Also on the doorstep: Lac des Brises some 1.4 km off, Lac aux Caribous at 1.7 km, Lac du Frisson some 2.5 km off, Lac Epingle at 2.6 km and Lac des Vents some 2.6 km off. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lac de la Belle Randonnee

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Open biodiversity records for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean list northern pike, Atlantic salmon and lake whitefish. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. At Lac de la Belle Randonnee the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 16°C at the top of summer and -19°C at the bottom of winter. Open water arrives late and leaves early, which concentrates the fishing. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early May. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Time your trip to Lac de la Belle Randonnee by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. 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. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. For a change of water, Lac des Brises is 1.4 km distant. Confirm access to Lac de la Belle Randonnee locally before you travel.