Fishing at Lac Chausson, Laurentides, Quebec

• Overview

  Laurentides, Quebec, is where Lac Chausson sits. It stands 393 metres above sea level. About 7 hectares of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. The nearest town is Morin-Heights, 12 km away. Then Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard, 14 km, and Saint-Sauveur, 17 km. Round about: Lac Papillon at 0.8 km, Lac Sabot 1.7 km away, Petit lac Long at 1.7 km, Lac Saint-Victor 1.8 km away and Lac Saint-Cyr at 1.9 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Chausson

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Reported across Laurentides: pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and brook trout. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The shape of Lac Chausson decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 18°C and January near -13°C. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around late April. The season between ice runs from about late April to late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Lac Chausson fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Part of this sits inside or beside Réserve naturelle du Lac-Notre-Dame, so read the notices. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Lac Papillon, 0.8 km away, makes the obvious fallback. For Lac Chausson in particular, ask before you travel.