Lac Bouchard in Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Quebec holds Lac Bouchard, in Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine. The ground around here is mixed forest. It covers about 8 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It sits higher than most water we list in Quebec. Sainte-Anne-des-Monts lies 62 km from the water. Cap-Chat lies 76 km off, Gaspé another 91 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lac Bouchard

  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. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Species logged across Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine include American eel, striped bass and alewife. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. On Lac Bouchard the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 16°C on average, January about -14°C. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Ice is part of the season here, ending near early May. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Anyone fishing Lac Bouchard regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Should this one be busy, Lac Cameron is 1.9 km off. Check the current arrangement for Lac Bouchard.