Lac Croche Fishing near Saint-Raphaël, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Croche is one of the Outaouais listings for Quebec. Everything around it is lake country bush. With some 22 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The bank runs about 3.7 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. It is low-lying compared with other Quebec water we list. The closest town, Saint-Raphaël, is 26 km distant. Maniwaki follows at 37 km, then Wakefield at 46 km. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Croche

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Outaouais cover pumpkinseed, yellow perch, smallmouth bass and rainbow smelt. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Treat Lac Croche as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -13°C to 19°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late April. The season between ice runs from about late April to early December. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. That is the shape of the year on Lac Croche.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. A camping area sits within 730 m of here. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Lac du Bluff sits 1.1 km off and takes the overflow. For Lac Croche in particular, ask before you travel.