Lac du Diable Fishing Guide, Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec

• Overview

  Look for Lac du Diable in the Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean part of Quebec. The sea is 35 km distant. Small at around 5 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Compared with other Quebec water on our list, it sits high. You are 36 km from Saint-Fulgence. It is 46 km to Saguenay, the nearest city. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Diable

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Survey and observation records for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean include northern pike, Atlantic salmon, lake whitefish and fallfish. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. The shape of Lac du Diable rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 15°C and January near -19°C. The year here is short and sharp: a long lid, then a burst of open water. Ice-out usually falls in mid May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The lid tends to go about mid May and return around early November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lac du Diable.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. The car has to stay 950 m away, which shapes how much tackle you bring. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. The nearest alternative is Lac Clair, 0.5 km out. For Lac du Diable, the notice at the access point is the final word.