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

• Overview

  Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec, is where Lac Imbeau sits. It sits 29 km in from the sea. At 5 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. It is high ground by Quebec standards. The town to know is Saint-Fulgence, 31 km out. Saguenay is the closest city, 41 km away. Nearby alternatives: Lac Serpe 0.2 km, Lac Nolet at about 0.6 km, Lac Anins 0.6 km, Lac du Siffleur at about 0.8 km and Lac du Squatter 1.4 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lac Imbeau

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. County-wide records name northern pike, Atlantic salmon and lake whitefish. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Fish Lac Imbeau to its features, not to its size.

• 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. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid May. From about mid May to around early November, expect open water on the long-run figures. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. On Lac Imbeau the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Lac Serpe is 0.2 km off. Treat Lac Imbeau as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.