Fishing at Lac du Bout, Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac du Bout lies within the bounds of Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec. Beyond the shoreline you have spruce and muskeg. With some 33 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The margin runs to about 5.2 km in total. It ranks high for size among our Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean listings. Start from Pont Rouge, 74 km down the road. Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc follows at 76 km, then Sainte-Monique at 80 km. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Bout

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean records list northern pike, Atlantic salmon, lake whitefish and fallfish among the fish reported. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Anyone new to Lac du Bout should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -19°C to 16°C. The window is narrow, and fish feed hard while it lasts. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. Open water usually runs from early May until about mid November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Plan any trip to Lac du Bout around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Débarcadère gives a made launch, 540 m off. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. The nearest alternative is Lac du Moulin a Scie, 1.7 km out. For Lac du Bout in particular, ask before you travel.