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

• Overview

  Lac de la Cocotte is one of the Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean waters in Quebec. It lies 738 metres above sea level. Surface area runs to about 2 hectares — small enough to read in one session. It is a small entry by Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean standards. Head to Saint-Honoré, 38 km away, for anything you forgot. Further out sit Saint-Fulgence (41 km) and Chicoutimi (48 km). It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lac de la Cocotte

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean records list northern pike, Atlantic salmon and lake whitefish among the fish reported. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. On Lac de la Cocotte the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 15°C on average, January about -19°C. Winter owns most of the year at this latitude. Winter locks it down, and mid May brings it back. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid May and starts locking again about early November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. It holds true on Lac de la Cocotte more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. The slipway at Débarcadère is 1.3 km away. A carry of 1.3 km from the nearest parking is the price of fishing here. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. For a change of water, Lac du Mecreant is 0.5 km distant. Check the position at Lac de la Cocotte before loading the car.