Lac du Tire-Bouchon Fishing Guide, Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac du Tire-Bouchon falls in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, part of Quebec. The bank is 519 metres above sea level. It covers about 7 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Compared with other Quebec water on our list, it sits high. The closest town, Pont Rouge, is 47 km distant. For a city, Saguenay is 98 km off. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Tire-Bouchon

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Across Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, recorded fish include northern pike, Atlantic salmon, lake whitefish and fallfish. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Lac du Tire-Bouchon the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 16°C in July and bottom out at -19°C in January. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Averages suggest open water from about early May through to roughly mid November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Time your trip to Lac du Tire-Bouchon by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Should this one be busy, Lac de l'Oeil-Qui-Louche is 0.3 km off. For Lac du Tire-Bouchon in particular, ask before you travel.