Lac Charette in Laurentides: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Laurentides end of Quebec holds Lac Charette. The surface lies 492 metres up. At roughly 2 hectares, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. On size it sits at the modest end of our Laurentides list. The nearest place of any size is Rivière-Rouge, 34 km away. Then Ferme-Neuve, 41 km, and Mont-Laurier, 49 km. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Lac Charette

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Reported across Laurentides: pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, brook trout and rock bass. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Lac Charette responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 17°C and January near -16°C. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. Averages place the thaw at early May and the freeze at mid November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. The season on Lac Charette rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. For a change of water, Lac sur la Montagne is 0.5 km distant. Signs at Lac Charette carry more weight than any list.