Lac de la Bottine in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac de la Bottine is a Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean water, Quebec side. The country round it is northern bush from end to end. It measures about 31 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The full circuit measures close to 3.0 km on foot. Size puts it in the front rank of our Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean list. Mistissini is the closest town at 153 km. Further out sit Pont Rouge (168 km) and Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc (170 km). No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac de la Bottine

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Public occurrence data for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean names northern pike, Atlantic salmon, lake whitefish and fallfish. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Fish Lac de la Bottine where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 15°C, the coldest about -21°C. This is a two-season water: locked, then wide open. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around mid May. Expect the water usable from around mid May until roughly early November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Plan any trip to Lac de la Bottine around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Lac de la Raquette, 2.9 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Rules at Lac de la Bottine are worth checking on the day.