Lac de l'Ecluse Fishing Guide, Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec

• Overview

  Out in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec, sits Lac de l'Ecluse. The ground around here is taiga. Compared with other Quebec water on our list, it sits high. Some 43 km away sits Saint-Fulgence, the nearest settlement. The nearest city of size is Saguenay, 54 km away. Others close at hand: 0.6 km away is Lac du Braconnier, Lac Baril 0.8 km, 0.9 km away is Lac Bernard, Lac du Cheval 0.9 km and 1.2 km away is Lac Paul. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac de l'Ecluse

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Across Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, recorded fish include 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. Read Lac de l'Ecluse for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -19°C to 15°C. Cold dominates the calendar on water this far north. After mid May the shallows warm and the fish move up. Averages place the thaw at mid May and the freeze at early November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Anyone fishing Lac de l'Ecluse regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. A campsite lies 930 m away for anyone staying over. Facilities run to toilets 1.1 km from the water. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. If the gate is shut, Lac du Braconnier at 0.6 km is the nearest alternative. What applies at Lac de l'Ecluse may have changed since it was mapped.