Lac du Male in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac du Male lies in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, in Quebec. The water sits 738 metres up. The water covers some 14 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The edge runs 1.6 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Quebec listings. Saint-Fulgence lies 52 km from the water. Saguenay is the closest city, 63 km away. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Male

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Species logged across Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean include northern pike, Atlantic salmon, lake whitefish and fallfish. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Anyone new to Lac du Male should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 15°C and January about -19°C. This far north the hard season runs and runs. Break-up comes around mid May, and the run that follows is short and strong. Break-up sits around mid May on average, with the water closing again about early November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. At Lac du Male the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Lac Pansu, 0.4 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the current arrangement for Lac du Male.