Fishing Lac Danay in Laurentides, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Danay is set in Laurentides, Quebec. The water sits 406 metres up. At roughly 9 hectares, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. The closest town, Rivière-Rouge, is 47 km distant. Then Manawan, 50 km, and Saint-Michel-des-Saints, 59 km. Nearby alternatives: Petit lac Danay 0.4 km away, Lac Naumeny (1.7 km), Lac Carmen 2.5 km away, Lac Langeron (2.6 km) and Lac Macaouaga 2.8 km away. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lac Danay

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Reported across Laurentides: pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, brook trout and rock bass. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. The shape of Lac Danay rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -15°C and July at about 17°C, the water has a wide range to work through. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around late April. The water is typically free of ice between late April and mid November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. That shapes the year on Lac Danay.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. If the gate is shut, Petit lac Danay at 0.4 km is the nearest alternative. Rules at Lac Danay are worth checking on the day.