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

• Overview

  Within Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec, you have Lac Simard. The setting is boreal forest. This is a pocket water of some 7 hectares, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Pont Rouge sits 62 km from the bank. Saguenay sits 94 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lac Simard

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Reported across Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean: 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. Fish Lac Simard to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 16°C and January near -19°C. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near early May. In an average year the thaw lands around early May and the freeze near mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Plan any trip to Lac Simard around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. For a change of water, Lac du Canular is 0.9 km distant. Check the position at Lac Simard before loading the car.