Fishing Lac de l'Epervier in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac de l'Epervier is a Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean water, in Quebec. Elevation runs to 533 metres. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Quebec listings. For supplies, Saint-Honoré is 86 km out. Labrecque is 90 km and Saint-Ambroise 91 km. Others close at hand: Lac de la Montagne at about 1.4 km, Lac du Bihoreau 2.2 km away, Lac Desbiens at about 2.2 km, Lac des Cadis 2.5 km away and Lac du Pluvier at about 2.7 km. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lac de l'Epervier

  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, lake whitefish and fallfish. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. The near bank of Lac de l'Epervier is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 16°C and January near -19°C. The freeze holds for the better part of the year. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid May. Expect the water usable from around mid May until roughly mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Lac de l'Epervier runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. The nearest alternative is Lac de la Montagne, 1.4 km out. Nothing here settles the position at Lac de l'Epervier for certain.