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

• Overview

  Lac des Pistes lies in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec. The bank is 312 metres above sea level. Surface area runs to about 3 hectares — small enough to read in one session. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean. For a base, Pont Rouge sits 28 km out. The nearest city of size is Saguenay, 94 km away. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Pistes

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Survey and observation records for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean include 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 Pistes that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 17°C and January reads -19°C. Ice holds for a long stretch, so the open weeks matter more here than further south. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Average temperatures cross freezing around early May in spring and again near mid November in autumn. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. The season on Lac des Pistes follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Lac de la Cabane at 0.7 km is the sensible second choice. Check the position at Lac des Pistes before loading the car.