Fishing Lac des Mardis in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac des Mardis lies in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, in Quebec. It lies 291 metres above sea level. About 6 hectares of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. For a base, Pont Rouge sits 30 km out. Saguenay sits 91 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. What else is close: Lac Bouchard 0.9 km away, Lac de la Martre a shade over 1 km, Lac Guy 1.3 km away, Lac des Braves a shade over 1.8 km and Lac de la Penurie 1.9 km away. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Mardis

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Reported across Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean: northern pike, Atlantic salmon and lake whitefish. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Lac des Mardis the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -19°C in January to roughly 17°C in July. A short, intense season is the rule this far north. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Expect the water usable from around early May until roughly mid November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lac des Mardis.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. The nearest alternative is Lac Bouchard, 0.9 km out. What applies at Lac des Mardis may have changed since it was mapped.