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

• Overview

  Quebec holds Lac du Taon, in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean. Northern bush runs right down to the water. With some 12 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. About 2.1 km of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. Pont Rouge sits 49 km from the bank. The big place round here is Saguenay, 99 km distant. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Taon

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Reported across Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean: 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. Anyone new to Lac du Taon should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 16°C in July and bottoms out near -19°C in January. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. Look for the thaw near early May; the fishing lifts straight after. The season between ice runs from about early May to mid November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. That is the shape of the year on Lac du Taon.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Lac du Butineur, 0.5 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat access at Lac du Taon as something to verify.