Lac des Belettes, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Look for Lac des Belettes in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec. The bank is 285 metres above sea level. Roughly 22 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Shoreline comes to about 3.5 km, small enough to learn in a day. Pont Rouge sits 34 km from the bank. The nearest city of size is Saguenay, 89 km away. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Belettes

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. 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. Take Lac des Belettes a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 17°C for July and -19°C for January. Long winters and short summers set the pattern. The lid usually goes in early May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Break-up sits around early May on average, with the water closing again about mid November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Lac des Belettes fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. 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. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Lac Manigouche at 1.4 km is the sensible second choice. Check the position on Lac des Belettes before loading the car.