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

• Overview

  Look for Lac de la Vallee in the Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean part of Quebec. Everything around it is taiga. Compared with other Quebec water on our list, it sits high. The nearest town is Saint-Fulgence, 48 km away. Saguenay is the closest city, 59 km away. Other water nearby: Lac du Loup-Cervier 1.2 km off, Lac Suivant (1.2 km), Lac Cospel 1.3 km off, Lac du Tetras (1.8 km) and Lac Midas 2.3 km off. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lac de la Vallee

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Species logged across Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean include 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. At Lac de la Vallee light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -19°C to 15°C. This far north the hard season runs and runs. Ice-out usually falls in mid May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Climate figures give an open season running mid May to early November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Lac de la Vallee.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Lac du Loup-Cervier at 1.2 km is the sensible second choice. The position on Lac de la Vallee is worth confirming on the day.