My First Ouananiche, or the Time I Fell in Love with Fishing

Let me tell you about my first ouananiche fishing trip. No, I won’t be telling you stories about gigantic fish or barely believable tales of miraculous catches. Instead, this is about love at first sight—an encounter with a feisty fish that got me hooked on fishing. A passion that has driven me for 13 years now and has become a family activity.

It’s June 23, 2008, and we’re heading out with a couple of friends to fish for ouananiche on Lake Saint-Jean. A first for me! Up until then, my fishing experience had been limited to trout.

Here we are in Chambord, launching from the municipal dock. There’s a frenetic atmosphere on board. It must be said that boat fishing on Lake Saint-Jean has a certain “je ne sais quoi” about it. When you’re in a rowboat on this vast inland sea, you feel tiny. Plus, the sun is shining brightly, the water is calm, there are plenty of anglers around us, and the boats are bustling with activity. Just as we were setting out, we saw an angler pull a fish out of the water. In short, all the ingredients are in place for a perfect day of fishing!

We head toward Val-Jalbert, following the riverbank. We make our way along slowly, using dry flies and light trolling lures. We change lures fairly often, trying to entice the coveted fish with something a little “new.” Time is passing, and we’re starting to think the fishing might not be productive when suddenly, I feel three sharp, distinct tugs on the end of my rod. “Fish on”!

I set the hook, and the fish automatically tries to swim away. I let it run, it jumps, trying to break free. I reel it in; it’s right next to the boat… it jumps again and heads back out to sea! Oh, I’m so afraid of losing my catch… especially since the ouananiche looks like a good-sized one! After a 10-minute fight, I manage to reel the fish back to the boat and finally land it. WOW! A 5-pound ouananiche!

I can’t tell you how happy I am!

I can’t wait to cast my line again. All I want is to experience that incredible feeling all over again—to feel my heart racing when I feel those three little tugs on my line and see the fish leap out of the water!

Since then, I’ve been returning to Lac-Saint-Jean every summer to fish for ouananiche on the lake, but also in the rivers, since ouananiche can be fly-fished just like salmon. This sport fishing is just as thrilling as salmon fishing, and it has allowed me to discover some idyllic spots in Lac-Saint-Jean. It’s an experience I highly recommend!

Everything you need to know about fishing for ouananiche in Lac-Saint-Jean: https://claplacsaintjean.com/