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

• Overview

  Set in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Lac Mercier is a Quebec water. The setting is boreal forest. Small at around 8 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Compared with other Quebec water on our list, it sits high. Leblanc sits 76 km from here and is the nearest stop. The big place round here is Saguenay, 197 km distant. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lac Mercier

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. 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. On Lac Mercier that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 16°C on average, January about -18°C. The ice season is long here and the open one short. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early May. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Lac Mercier fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Failing this one, try Lac Bouzel, 1.9 km away. What applies at Lac Mercier may have changed since it was mapped.