Lac de la Grillade, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Out in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec, sits Lac de la Grillade. Country round the bank runs to pine and birch. This is a pocket water of some 5 hectares, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. It lies lower than most water we list in Quebec. Some 18 km away sits Pont Rouge, the nearest settlement. After that come Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc at 19 km and Sainte-Monique at 21 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac de la Grillade

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Public occurrence data for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean names northern pike, Atlantic salmon and lake whitefish. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. At Lac de la Grillade the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 17°C, with January the cold end at about -19°C. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Count the season from break-up, usually early May. The lid tends to go about early May and return around mid November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Plan around that when you fish Lac de la Grillade.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. The nearest alternative is Lac a Harry-Jean, 1.8 km out. For Lac de la Grillade in particular, ask before you travel.