Lac de la Fraie, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Lac de la Fraie stands in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec. The country round it is taiga from end to end. The water covers some 26 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The bank runs about 3.3 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. The nearest town is Normandin, 70 km away. For a city, Saguenay is 184 km off. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Lac de la Fraie

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Survey and observation records for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean include northern pike, Atlantic salmon, lake whitefish and fallfish. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Fish Lac de la Fraie where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -19°C in January and 16°C in July. Winter owns most of the year at this latitude. Break-up comes around early May, and the run that follows is short and strong. The lid tends to go about early May and return around mid November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. The season on Lac de la Fraie rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Lac Chanceux is 2 km off. For Lac de la Fraie in particular, ask before you travel.