Lac Menard in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac Menard sits in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, out in Quebec. This is boreal forest country. With some 42 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Bank access stretches around 3.8 km in total. On our Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean list it sits near the top for size. The nearest place of any size is Pont Rouge, 127 km away. The nearest city of size is Saguenay, 167 km away. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Lac Menard

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Fish documented in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean include 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. Lac Menard fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -19°C in January and 15°C in July. The season is measured in weeks rather than months. Count the season from break-up, usually early May. Open water usually runs from early May until about mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. It holds true on Lac Menard more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. If the gate is shut, Lac de la Batch at 2.9 km is the nearest alternative. Check the position on Lac Menard before loading the car.