Lac Chantal Fishing near Hawkesbury, Quebec

• Overview

  This water sits in Laurentides, Quebec. This is pine and birch country. The water measures roughly 7 hectares, so nothing here is far from anything else. Ground here is low by Quebec standards. 6.8 km away sits Hawkesbury, the nearest town. It is 64 km to Saint-Louis-de-Terrebonne, the nearest city. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Lac Chantal

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. 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 data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Read Lac Chantal before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -12°C to 20°C. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid April. The season between ice runs from about mid April to early December. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lac Chantal.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Lac Mud sits 0.7 km off and takes the overflow. Where Lac Chantal is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.