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

• Overview

  Lac Patsy is one of the Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean waters in Quebec. Height above sea level is 410 metres. The water covers some 42 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The edge runs 3.6 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. On our Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean list it sits near the top for size. Labrecque sits 37 km from the bank. L'Ascension-de-Notre-Seigneur follows at 39 km, then Sainte-Monique at 44 km. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac Patsy

  We hold no depth figure for this one. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Reported across Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean: 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 Patsy the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 16°C and January near -18°C. The window is narrow, and fish feed hard while it lasts. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early May. The water is typically free of ice between early May and mid November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. It holds true on Lac Patsy more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. The nearest alternative is Lac Cruiser, 4.4 km out. The position on Lac Patsy is worth confirming on the day.