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

• Overview

  Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec, is where Lac du Pin sits. It sits in boreal forest. The water covers some 19 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The bank runs about 2.3 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. Compared with other Quebec water on our list, it sits high. The nearest place of any size is Chute-aux-Outardes, 188 km away. The nearest city of size is Saguenay, 217 km away. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Pin

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Across Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, recorded fish include 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. On Lac du Pin the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -21°C and July at about 14°C, the water has a wide range to work through. Cold dominates the year and the fishing works around it. Once it clears, about mid May, the fishing comes on quickly. In an average year the thaw lands around mid May and the freeze near early November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Anyone fishing Lac du Pin regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Should this one be busy, Lac Castor a Queue is 0.7 km off. Signs at Lac du Pin carry more weight than any list.