Lac du Butineur Fishing in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac du Butineur is a Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean water, in Quebec. The water sits 450 metres up. Small at around 2 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Our Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean list holds plenty of bigger water. The nearest place of any size is Pont Rouge, 48 km away. It is 99 km to Saguenay, the nearest city. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Butineur

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. County-wide records name northern pike, Atlantic salmon, lake whitefish and fallfish. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Anyone new to Lac du Butineur should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 16°C, with January the cold end at about -19°C. Water stays cold even at the height of the year. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around early May. Climate figures give an open season running early May to mid November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Lac du Butineur runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Failing this one, try Lac du Taon, 0.5 km away. Ask locally about Lac du Butineur if anything is unclear.