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

• Overview

  Out in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec, sits Lac de la Hachette. Tidal water begins 35 km from here. Surface area runs to about 9 hectares — small enough to read in one session. It is high ground by Quebec standards. The town to know is Saint-Fulgence, 42 km out. Saint-Honoré lies 48 km off, La Baie another 50 km. What else is close: Lac Terrible 0.8 km, 1 km away is Lac du Besson, Lac Gagnon 1.4 km, 1.6 km away is Lac Roche and Lac des Trois Passes 1.8 km. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Lac de la Hachette

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean cover northern pike, Atlantic salmon and lake whitefish. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Read Lac de la Hachette for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -19°C in January and 15°C in July. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid May. The open-water window runs from around mid May to about early November in an average year. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Lac de la Hachette fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Lac Terrible sits 0.8 km off and takes the overflow. Rules at Lac de la Hachette are worth checking on the day.