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

• Overview

  Lac Naja stands in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec. It sits at 404 metres above sea level. Labrecque is the closest town at 148 km. After that come Pont Rouge at 149 km and Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc at 150 km. Neighbouring water: Lac de l'Ourson at 0.9 km, Lac du Grizzli just 2 km, Lac Siamois at 2.2 km, Lac de l'Ours Polaire just 3.5 km and Lac a Paul at 3.6 km. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac Naja

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. 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, 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 Naja a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 16°C on average, January about -19°C. The ice season is long here and the open one short. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early May. Average temperatures cross freezing around early May in spring and again near mid November in autumn. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Lac Naja fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try Lac de l'Ourson, 0.9 km away. Signs at Lac Naja carry more weight than any list.