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

• Overview

  Lac des Ombles sits within Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean in Quebec. The surroundings are taiga. It covers about 3 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Our Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean list holds plenty of bigger water. You are 71 km from Pont Rouge. For a city, Saguenay is 100 km off. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Ombles

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. 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. On Lac des Ombles the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -19°C and July at about 16°C, the water has a wide range to work through. Open water arrives late and leaves early, which concentrates the fishing. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early May. Average temperatures cross freezing around early May in spring and again near mid November in autumn. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. The season on Lac des Ombles follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. 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. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Grand lac Touladi at 1 km is the sensible second choice. Check the position at Lac des Ombles before loading the car.