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

• Overview

  Set in Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec, this is Lac Natipi. The setting is taiga. At roughly 12.40 sq km it ranks among the larger waters in the region. With about 71 km of shoreline, local advice saves a lot of walking. Size puts it in the front rank of our Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean list. Nearest place of any size is Mistissini, 209 km away. The big place round here is Saguenay, 339 km distant. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Natipi

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Public occurrence data for Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean names 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. Work Lac Natipi in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -21°C to 15°C. The year here is short and sharp: a long lid, then a burst of open water. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly mid May. The lid tends to go about mid May and return around early November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Plan any trip to Lac Natipi around it.

• 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. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Lac Benoit sits 20 km off and takes the overflow. Where Lac Natipi is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.