Fishing Lac des Gros-Becs in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac des Gros-Becs falls in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, part of Quebec. The country round it is spruce and muskeg from end to end. Surface area is around 16 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. The edge runs 2.2 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. It sits higher than most water we list in Quebec. Head to Leblanc, 82 km away, for anything you forgot. After that come Normandin at 83 km and Albanel at 89 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Gros-Becs

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Species logged across 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 Gros-Becs repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -19°C in January and 16°C in July. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early May. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about mid November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. On Lac des Gros-Becs that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. For a change of water, Lac Guenievre is 0.9 km distant. Signs at Lac des Gros-Becs carry more weight than any list.