Lac en Coeur Fishing in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec

• Overview

  The Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean entry here is Lac en Coeur, in Quebec. Elevation runs to 344 metres. With some 39 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The edge runs 3.1 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. It is among the larger waters listed here for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean. Labrecque lies 27 km from the water. Saint-Ambroise follows at 31 km, then L'Ascension-de-Notre-Seigneur at 34 km. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lac en Coeur

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean cover northern pike, Atlantic salmon, lake whitefish and fallfish. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. On Lac en Coeur the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 16°C in July and bottoms out near -18°C in January. Everything is compressed into the middle of the year. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early May. In an average year the thaw lands around early May and the freeze near mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. It holds true on Lac en Coeur more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Should this one be busy, Lac Ti-Be is 0.6 km off. What applies at Lac en Coeur may have changed since it was mapped.