Fishing Lac Decharnay in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec

• Overview

  Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean in Quebec is where Lac Decharnay sits. The country here is spruce and muskeg. About 1.85 sq km, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. The outline measures near 14 km, so local knowledge counts. On our Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean list it sits near the top for size. Normandin lies 83 km from the water. Beyond it, Albanel at 88 km and Leblanc at 89 km. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac Decharnay

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Records held for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean cover northern pike, Atlantic salmon, lake whitefish and fallfish. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. The shape of Lac Decharnay rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 16°C and January about -18°C. Water stays cold even at the height of the year. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly early May. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about mid November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Anyone fishing Lac Decharnay regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Lac Puxe sits 1.2 km off and takes the overflow. Rules at Lac Decharnay are worth checking on the day.