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

• Overview

  Lac du Coffre lies in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec. It lies 522 metres above sea level. This is a pocket water of some 10 hectares, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. The bank runs about 2.1 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. Compared with other Quebec water on our list, it sits high. Start from Saint-Félicien, 38 km down the road. The nearest city of size is Saguenay, 142 km away. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Coffre

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Open biodiversity records for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean list 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. Lac du Coffre responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 16°C and January at -18°C. Winter owns most of the year at this latitude. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early May. The open-water window runs from around early May to about mid November in an average year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. The season on Lac du Coffre rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. The nearest alternative is Lac Lerole, 1.3 km out. Confirm before you fish Lac du Coffre.