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

• Overview

  Lac Ouiatchouan is a Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean water, in Quebec. The country round it is northern bush from end to end. This is sizeable water at about 2.09 sq km, and a boat opens up most of it. On our Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean list it sits near the top for size. Métabetchouan lies 16 km from the water. After that come Chambord at 20 km and Desbiens at 24 km. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac Ouiatchouan

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. County-wide records name northern pike, Atlantic salmon and lake whitefish. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Fish Lac Ouiatchouan where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 17°C and January at -17°C. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. The lid tends to go about early May and return around mid November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Anyone fishing Lac Ouiatchouan regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Parking is mapped about 530 m from the bank. A campsite lies 680 m away for anyone staying over. A picnic spot sits 1.4 km from the bank. There are toilets 570 m off. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Should this one be busy, Lac Louis is 3.2 km off. Check the position at Lac Ouiatchouan before loading the car.