Lac des Portages, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Lac des Portages lies in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec. The surroundings are northern bush. At 2 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. It is a small entry by Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean standards. Head to Normandin, 88 km away, for anything you forgot. Saguenay sits 201 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Portages

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Records held for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean cover northern pike, Atlantic salmon, lake whitefish and fallfish. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Fish Lac des Portages where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 16°C at the top of summer and -19°C at the bottom of winter. This is a two-season water: locked, then wide open. Winter locks it down, and early May brings it back. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early May until roughly mid November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. That is the shape of the year on Lac des Portages.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. 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. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Should this one be busy, Lac Pierre is 1.3 km off. Confirm before you fish Lac des Portages.