Lac Marie Fishing Guide, Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Marie is one of the Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean listings for Quebec. Land around it is northern bush. The water covers some 58 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Shoreline length is close to 5.1 km, and each section fishes a little differently. Size puts it in the front rank of our Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean list. Chute-aux-Outardes is the closest town at 179 km. The big place round here is Saguenay, 209 km distant. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lac Marie

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Open biodiversity records for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean list 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. The near bank of Lac Marie is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 15°C and January about -20°C. Open water arrives late and leaves early, which concentrates the fishing. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid May. Expect the water usable from around mid May until roughly early November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. It holds true on Lac Marie more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. The nearest alternative is Lac Cerf-Volant, 3.9 km out. What applies at Lac Marie may have changed since it was mapped.