Lac Cantarat Fishing in Capitale-Nationale, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Cantarat lies in Capitale-Nationale, in Quebec. The bank is 304 metres above sea level. It covers about 2 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Capitale-Nationale. Laurentides lies 9.2 km from the water. After that come Sainte-Thècle at 38 km and La Tuque at 43 km. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac Cantarat

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Open biodiversity records for Capitale-Nationale list lake sturgeon, Atlantic sturgeon, longnose sucker, sauger and channel catfish. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Lac Cantarat gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 18°C on average, January about -15°C. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. The water is typically free of ice between late April and late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lac Cantarat.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Walleye come to jigs worked slow near bottom, and to trolled crankbaits along the drops at dusk. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. For a change of water, Lac du Sorbier is 1.2 km distant. For Lac Cantarat in particular, ask before you travel.