Lac Crain, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Lac Crain is a Laurentides water, in Quebec. Height above sea level is 328 metres. 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. For a base, La Minerve sits 6.9 km out. Then Lac-Simon, 18 km, and Labelle, 21 km. In the same area: Lac Hector at 0.4 km, Petit lac Joseph at about 0.9 km, Lac Krausman at 1.2 km, Lac Laflamme at about 1.4 km and Lac de la Plombee at 1.5 km. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Lac Crain

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Species logged across Laurentides include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and brook trout. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Lac Crain gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 18°C in July and bottom out at -14°C in January. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Climate figures give an open season running late April to late November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Time your trip to Lac Crain by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Lac Hector at 0.4 km is the sensible second choice. Rules at Lac Crain are worth checking on the day.