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

• Overview

  Lac du Relais lies in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec. The ground round it is spruce and muskeg. With some 20 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. A shoreline of some 2.8 km keeps the choices simple. Chibougamau sits 92 km from the bank. Chapais is 94 km away, with Leblanc at 97 km. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Relais

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean records list northern pike, Atlantic salmon, lake whitefish and fallfish among the fish reported. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Fish Lac du Relais where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 16°C and January about -19°C. Winter runs most of the calendar, and everything worth doing happens in the gap. Look for the thaw near early May; the fishing lifts straight after. The season between ice runs from about early May to mid November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Lac du Relais fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Lac Malbrans sits 0.5 km off and takes the overflow. For Lac du Relais, the notice at the access point is the final word.