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

• Overview

  Set in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec, this is Lac Michel. The setting is taiga. Small at around 2 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Most waters listed here for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean are larger. Normandin lies 33 km from the water. Albanel is 36 km and Saint-Félicien 50 km. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Lac Michel

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Records held for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean cover 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. On Lac Michel that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 17°C and January near -19°C on the long-run figures. The season is measured in weeks rather than months. Winter locks it down, and early May brings it back. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early May until roughly mid November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Plan around that when you fish Lac Michel.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Failing this one, try Lac Richard, 0.4 km away. Treat Lac Michel as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.