Fishing at Lac Desmeules, Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Desmeules is one of the Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean waters in Quebec. Around the bank it is taiga. This is sizeable water at about 1.07 sq km, and a boat opens up most of it. With 11 km or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. It ranks high for size among our Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean listings. The nearest place of any size is Saint-Honoré, 50 km away. Saint-Ambroise is 56 km and Saint-Fulgence 57 km. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lac Desmeules

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Public occurrence data for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean names northern pike, Atlantic salmon and lake whitefish. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. On Lac Desmeules that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 15°C in July and bottom out at -19°C in January. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid May. From about mid May to around early November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Lac Desmeules runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Débarcadère sits about 1.5 km away and carries the launch. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Lac Cote sits 0.7 km off and takes the overflow. Signs at Lac Desmeules carry more weight than any list.