Lac Croche Fishing Guide, Lanaudière, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Croche is listed under Lanaudière, Quebec. It stands 360 metres above sea level. It runs to roughly 56 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Around 4.5 km of margin, front to back. On our Lanaudière list it sits near the top for size. Start from Saint-Donat-de-Montcalm, 24 km down the road. Saint-Louis-de-Terrebonne sits 68 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Lac Croche

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Species logged across Lanaudière include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass and yellow perch. The county list is broader than any single water. The shape of Lac Croche decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -14°C in January to roughly 18°C in July. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near late November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lac Croche.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. The nearest alternative is Lac Godin, 1.1 km out. Treat access at Lac Croche as something to verify.