Lac Bess Fishing in Lanaudière, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Bess lies within the bounds of Lanaudière, Quebec. The water sits 465 metres up. It runs to roughly 96 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Shoreline length is close to 6.8 km, and each section fishes a little differently. On our Lanaudière list it sits near the top for size. You are 28 km from Saint-Michel-des-Saints. Saint-Donat-de-Montcalm follows at 42 km, then Rivière-Rouge at 54 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Bess

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Open biodiversity records for Lanaudière list pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass and yellow perch. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Lac Bess fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 17°C, with January the cold end at about -15°C. The year here is short and sharp: a long lid, then a burst of open water. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early May. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about mid November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Plan any trip to Lac Bess around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. The nearest alternative is Lac Orcier, 1.1 km out. For Lac Bess, the notice at the access point is the final word.