Lac Clair in Outaouais: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac Clair is one of the Outaouais waters in Quebec. The surroundings are rolling bush. This is sizeable water at about 1.75 sq km, and a boat opens up most of it. With 7.5 km or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Few waters listed in Outaouais are bigger. Saint-Raphaël lies 31 km from the water. After that come Maniwaki at 41 km and Fort-Coulonge at 46 km. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac Clair

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Across Outaouais, recorded fish include pumpkinseed, yellow perch and smallmouth bass. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Take Lac Clair a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 18°C, with January the cold end at about -14°C. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. Climate averages put the opening at about late April and the closing near late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Lac Clair.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Lac Luton at 1.5 km is the sensible second choice. Ask locally about Lac Clair if anything is unclear.