Fishing Lac de l'Aiglon in Lanaudière, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac de l'Aiglon lies in Lanaudière, in Quebec. It sits at 388 metres above sea level. It runs to roughly 35 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The bank runs about 2.8 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. On our Lanaudière list it sits near the top for size. Nearest town is Saint-Michel-des-Saints, 42 km off. Trois-Rivières is the closest city, 87 km away. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Lac de l'Aiglon

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Lanaudière records list pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, rock bass and brook trout among the fish reported. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Fish Lac de l'Aiglon where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -15°C to 17°C. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly late November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Time your trip to Lac de l'Aiglon by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Lac Nepawa, 1.2 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat access at Lac de l'Aiglon as something to verify.