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

• Overview

  The Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean end of Quebec holds Lac de la Coupe. Country round the bank runs to spruce and muskeg. Surface area runs to about 4 hectares — small enough to read in one session. The closest town, Pont Rouge, is 82 km distant. Further out sit Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc (84 km) and Dolbeau-Mistassini (89 km). The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac de la Coupe

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Records held for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean cover 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. At Lac de la Coupe the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 16°C, while January sits near -19°C. The ice season is long here and the open one short. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. Open water usually runs from early May until about mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. At Lac de la Coupe the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. If the gate is shut, Lac de la Pie-Grieche at 0.6 km is the nearest alternative. None of that is settled for Lac de la Coupe in what we hold.