Lac des Cleary Fishing Guide, Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec

• Overview

  Set in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec, this is Lac des Cleary. Everything around it is boreal forest. Roughly 28 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The perimeter runs near 5.9 km, so plan the walk before you start. Pont Rouge lies 111 km from the water. Saguenay sits 183 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Cleary

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Across Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, recorded fish 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 des Cleary the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -20°C in January up to 15°C in July. Winter runs most of the calendar, and everything worth doing happens in the gap. After early May the shallows warm and the fish move up. In an average year the thaw lands around early May and the freeze near early November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Lac des Cleary.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. The nearest alternative is Lac Shipi, 2.2 km out. Confirm before you fish Lac des Cleary.