Lac des Fossiles Fishing Guide, Outaouais, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac des Fossiles is one of the Outaouais waters in Quebec. It sits at 359 metres above sea level. It covers about 10 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. The bank runs about 1.7 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. You are 82 km from Saint-Boniface. For a city, Gatineau is 196 km off. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Fossiles

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. 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, rainbow smelt and Iowa darter. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Lac des Fossiles fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 17°C at the top of summer and -17°C at the bottom of winter. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around early May. Averages suggest open water from about early May through to roughly late November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Lac des Fossiles fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try Lac Euglene, 0.5 km away. Check the position on Lac des Fossiles before loading the car.