Fishing at Lac a l'Or, Laurentides, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac a l'Or stands in Laurentides, Quebec. What surrounds it is pine and birch. Mont-Laurier sits 15 km from here and is the nearest stop. Maniwaki is 26 km and Saint-Boniface 26 km. Close neighbours run: Lac Thompson the better part of 0.5 km, Lac Pearson some 1.3 km off, Lac Jabotte the better part of 1.3 km, Petit lac Pearson some 1.7 km off and Lac de la Montagne the better part of 1.9 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lac a l'Or

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. County-wide records name pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, brook trout and rock bass. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Take Lac a l'Or a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 18°C, the coldest about -14°C. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly late November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. It holds true on Lac a l'Or more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Lac Thompson is 0.5 km distant. Nothing here settles the position at Lac a l'Or for certain.