Lac du Lancier Fishing near Dolbeau-Mistassini, Quebec

• Overview

  Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec, is where Lac du Lancier sits. The water sits 224 metres up. About 5 hectares of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. It is low-lying compared with other Quebec water we list. You are 30 km from Dolbeau-Mistassini. Saguenay sits 119 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Lancier

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Across Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, recorded fish include northern pike, Atlantic salmon, lake whitefish and fallfish. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Lac du Lancier the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -19°C in January to roughly 17°C in July. Everything is compressed into the middle of the year. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about mid November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. It holds true on Lac du Lancier more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. If the gate is shut, Lac La Trappe at 1.3 km is the nearest alternative. Signs at Lac du Lancier carry more weight than any list.