Fishing at Lac Ben, Laurentides, Quebec

• Overview

  Laurentides in Quebec is where Lac Ben sits. It stands 456 metres above sea level. At 2 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Laurentides. For a base, Ferme-Neuve sits 41 km out. Rivière-Rouge is 46 km and Mont-Laurier 53 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Ben

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Laurentides records list pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, brook trout and rock bass among the fish reported. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Fish Lac Ben to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 17°C and January near -15°C. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Once it clears, about late April, the fishing comes on quickly. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about late November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. It holds true on Lac Ben more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Should this one be busy, Lac Henri is 1.1 km off. Treat access at Lac Ben as something to verify.