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

• Overview

  Lac du Semoir lies in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec. The surface lies 299 metres up. It covers about 5 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. You are 49 km from Albanel. After that come Dolbeau-Mistassini at 51 km and Pont Rouge at 54 km. Near neighbours: Lac a Treffle out at 2 km, Premier lac Mathieu lies 2.4 km on, Lac du Canot out at 3 km, Lac Mithe lies 3.1 km on and Lac de la Cooperative out at 3.2 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Semoir

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. County-wide records name northern pike, Atlantic salmon, lake whitefish and fallfish. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Read Lac du Semoir before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 16°C on average, January about -20°C. A short, intense season is the rule this far north. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early May. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early May and starts locking again about mid November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Time your trip to Lac du Semoir by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. 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. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Lac a Treffle sits 2 km off and takes the overflow. For Lac du Semoir, the notice at the access point is the final word.