Lac de la Boue Fishing near Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel, Quebec

• Overview

  Set in Outaouais, Lac de la Boue is a Quebec water. It sits in pine and birch. At 7 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. The town to know is Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel, 10 km out. It is 78 km to Orléans, the nearest city. Within a short drive: Lac Omer at about 0.5 km, Lac Creux sits 1.4 km out, Lac la Marche at about 1.5 km, Lac de la Dame sits 1.8 km out and Lac Chevreuil at about 2 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lac de la Boue

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Records held for Outaouais cover pumpkinseed, yellow perch and smallmouth bass. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Anyone new to Lac de la Boue should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 18°C; the cold one sits at -14°C. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. On average, late April opens the water and late November closes it again. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Lac de la Boue fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Failing this one, try Lac Omer, 0.5 km away. Treat access at Lac de la Boue as something to verify.