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

• Overview

  Look for Lac du Depot in the Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean part of Quebec. This is boreal forest ground. At about 26 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. With about 3.1 km of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Pont Rouge at 21 km is the nearest place to stop. For a city, Saguenay is 101 km off. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Depot

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Open biodiversity records for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean list northern pike, Atlantic salmon and lake whitefish. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Take Lac du Depot a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 17°C at the top of summer and -19°C at the bottom of winter. The fishing year opens late and shuts early. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. Climate averages put the opening at about early May and the closing near mid November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. On Lac du Depot that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. For a change of water, Grand lac Roy is 2.6 km distant. Check the position at Lac du Depot before loading the car.