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

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac de la Grosse falls inside Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean. Boreal forest runs right down to the water. It runs to roughly 18 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Around 2.3 km of margin, front to back. It sits higher than most water we list in Quebec. Saint-Fulgence sits 42 km from here and is the nearest stop. The nearest city of size is Saguenay, 52 km away. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac de la Grosse

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Public occurrence data for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean names northern pike, Atlantic salmon and lake whitefish. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Lac de la Grosse fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 15°C and January at -19°C. Winter owns most of the year at this latitude. Ice-out usually falls in mid May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Climate averages put the opening at about mid May and the closing near early November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Anyone fishing Lac de la Grosse regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Lac de l'Autour is 0.9 km off. Treat access at Lac de la Grosse as something to verify.