Lac Gilbert, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac Gilbert belongs to Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean. The surface lies 351 metres up. At about 20 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. With about 3.1 km of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Métabetchouan sits 25 km from here and is the nearest stop. Chambord follows at 26 km, then Roberval at 28 km. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lac Gilbert

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Reported across Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean: northern pike, Atlantic salmon and lake whitefish. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. The shape of Lac Gilbert decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -17°C to 17°C. Winter runs most of the calendar, and everything worth doing happens in the gap. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early May. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early May and starts locking again about mid November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. That is the shape of the year on Lac Gilbert.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. If the gate is shut, Lac Isabeau at 1.2 km is the nearest alternative. Rules at Lac Gilbert are worth checking on the day.