Lac Gauthier near Saint-Fulgence: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Lac Gauthier is set in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec. The sea is 29 km distant. Surface area runs to about 8 hectares — small enough to read in one session. It is high ground by Quebec standards. The closest town, Saint-Fulgence, is 33 km away. Further out sit Saint-Honoré (38 km) and La Baie (43 km). This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lac Gauthier

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. County-wide records name 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. On Lac Gauthier the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 15°C at the top of summer and -19°C at the bottom of winter. This far north the hard season runs and runs. Once it clears, about mid May, the fishing comes on quickly. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid May and starts locking again about early November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. It holds true on Lac Gauthier more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Boats go in at Lac Ferguson, roughly 1.4 km from the water. Facilities run to toilets 1.2 km from the water. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. The nearest alternative is Lac Rognon, 0.7 km out. Where Lac Gauthier is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.