Lac des Explorateurs in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Quebec holds Lac des Explorateurs, in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean. The country here is northern bush. It covers about 3 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Most waters listed here for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean are larger. The closest town, Labrecque, is 78 km distant. Saint-Honoré is 78 km away, with Saint-Ambroise at 81 km. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Explorateurs

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Fish documented in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean include northern pike, Atlantic salmon, lake whitefish and fallfish. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Lac des Explorateurs gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -19°C and July at about 15°C, the water has a wide range to work through. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around early May. The open-water window runs from around early May to about mid November in an average year. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. At Lac des Explorateurs the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Lac de l'Ours, 0.7 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position on Lac des Explorateurs before loading the car.