Lac des Bois Fishing near Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac des Bois stands in Outaouais, Quebec. The country round it is mixed forest from end to end. Surface area is around 17 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. There is roughly 2.3 km of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. For a base, Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel sits 11 km out. It is 75 km to Orléans, the nearest city. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Bois

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. County-wide records name pumpkinseed, yellow perch and smallmouth bass. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Fish Lac des Bois where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 18°C on average, January about -14°C. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Open water usually runs from late April until about late November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Lac des Bois runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. If the gate is shut, Lac Belisle at 1.3 km is the nearest alternative. Where Lac des Bois is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.