Lac Doigt d'Or, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Lac Doigt d'Or lies in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, in Quebec. The surface lies 438 metres up. This is a pocket water of some 2 hectares, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. It is a small entry by Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean standards. Nearest place of any size is Pont Rouge, 87 km away. Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc follows at 89 km, then Dolbeau-Mistassini at 92 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac Doigt d'Or

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Across Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, recorded fish include northern pike, Atlantic salmon and lake whitefish. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Lac Doigt d'Or gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 16°C in July and bottom out at -19°C in January. This is a two-season water: locked, then wide open. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around early May. Break-up sits around early May on average, with the water closing again about mid November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. It holds true on Lac Doigt d'Or more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. If the gate is shut, Lac Nasal at 0.3 km is the nearest alternative. Rules at Lac Doigt d'Or are worth checking on the day.