Fishing at Lac Malek, Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Malek belongs to Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec. Around the bank it is taiga. The water covers some 20 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. With about 4.2 km of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Labrecque lies 76 km from the water. The nearest city of size is Saguenay, 103 km away. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lac Malek

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Fish documented in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean include northern pike, Atlantic salmon, lake whitefish and fallfish. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. On Lac Malek the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 16°C at the top of summer and -19°C at the bottom of winter. Cold dominates the year and the fishing works around it. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early May. In an average year the thaw lands around early May and the freeze near mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Lac Malek fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try Lac Crochet, 1.4 km away. Rules at Lac Malek are worth checking on the day.