Fishing Lac Gaud in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec

• Overview

  You will find Lac Gaud in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec. The water sits 377 metres up. At roughly 5 hectares, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. Chibougamau is the closest place, 79 km off. After that come Chapais at 96 km and Normandin at 102 km. Water in the same corner: Lac de l'Acheron at 1.3 km, Lac Halsou after 1.6 km, Lac Airan at 2.5 km, Lac Montoir after 2.7 km and Lac Santeuil at 2.9 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lac Gaud

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. 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. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Lac Gaud gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 16°C, with January the cold end at about -19°C. Cold dominates the calendar on water this far north. The lid usually goes in early May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. The open-water window runs from around early May to about mid November in an average year. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. It holds true on Lac Gaud more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Should this one be busy, Lac de l'Acheron is 1.3 km off. Treat access at Lac Gaud as something to verify.