Fishing at Lac Cloche, Laurentides, Quebec

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac Cloche falls inside Laurentides. The surface lies 259 metres up. The water covers some 16 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. A shoreline of some 2.0 km keeps the choices simple. Rivière-Rouge lies 4.5 km from the water. It is 116 km to Saint-Louis-de-Terrebonne, the nearest city. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lac Cloche

  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. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Laurentides include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass and yellow perch. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. The shape of Lac Cloche decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 18°C and January at -14°C. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Average temperatures cross freezing around late April in spring and again near late November in autumn. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lac Cloche.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Lac Lanthier is 1.1 km off. For Lac Cloche, the notice at the access point is the final word.