Lac Guay, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Lac Guay is a Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean water, in Quebec. It lies 551 metres above sea level. At 1.88 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. The margin runs to about 9.9 km in total. It ranks high for size among our Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean listings. Some 167 km away sits Mistissini, the nearest settlement. Beyond it, Pont Rouge at 219 km and Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc at 221 km. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Lac Guay

  We hold no depth figure for this one. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Reported across Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean: northern pike, Atlantic salmon, lake whitefish and fallfish. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Fish Lac Guay where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 15°C in July and bottoms out near -21°C in January. This far north the hard season runs and runs. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid May. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about mid May until roughly early November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Lac Guay runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. The nearest alternative is Lac aux Grandes Baies, 12 km out. For Lac Guay in particular, ask before you travel.