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

• Overview

  The Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean end of Quebec holds Lac du Pissenlit. The surface lies 432 metres up. Small at around 4 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. The closest town, Pont Rouge, is 49 km away. Further out sit Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc (50 km) and Sainte-Monique (56 km). Others worth noting: Lac du Butineur within 0.6 km, Lac du Taon out at 0.9 km, Lac du Toboggan within 1 km, Lac Liliputien out at 1.5 km and Lac de l'Oeil-Qui-Louche within 1.7 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Pissenlit

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Public occurrence data for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean names northern pike, Atlantic salmon and lake whitefish. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Lac du Pissenlit the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 16°C and January near -19°C on the long-run figures. Water stays cold even at the height of the year. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from early May. Ice clears near early May and comes back about mid November in a typical year. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Time your trip to Lac du Pissenlit by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. 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. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. If the gate is shut, Lac du Butineur at 0.6 km is the nearest alternative. What applies at Lac du Pissenlit may have changed since it was mapped.