Lac Desautels, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  The Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean end of Quebec holds Lac Desautels. Everything around it is northern bush. At 3.43 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. The outline measures near 26 km, so a boat opens up water the bank never reaches. Size puts it in the front rank of our Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean list. The closest town, Normandin, is 86 km away. Then Albanel, 86 km, and Chibougamau, 94 km. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Lac Desautels

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Species logged across Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean include northern pike, Atlantic salmon, lake whitefish and fallfish. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Lac Desautels the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 16°C, with January the cold end at about -19°C. The year here is short and sharp: a long lid, then a burst of open water. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early May until roughly mid November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. On Lac Desautels the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Lac Pierre at 1.2 km is the sensible second choice. Ask locally about Lac Desautels if anything is unclear.