Fishing at Lac Britannique, Outaouais, Quebec

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac Britannique falls inside Outaouais. The water sits 212 metres up. At 1.97 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. Some 12 km of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. Size puts it in the front rank of our Outaouais list. The town to know is Ripon, 13 km out. Then Saint-André-Avellin, 16 km, and Thurso, 17 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lac Britannique

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Outaouais include pumpkinseed, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, rainbow smelt and Iowa darter. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Read Lac Britannique before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 19°C at the top of summer and -13°C at the bottom of winter. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly early December. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Lac Britannique.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Lac de l'Achigan at 1.8 km is the sensible second choice. Check the position on Lac Britannique before loading the car.