Lac des Gros-Becs Fishing Guide, Lanaudière, Quebec

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac des Gros-Becs falls inside Lanaudière. This is northern bush country. It sits higher than most water we list in Quebec. Supplies mean a trip to Manawan, 13 km off. Saint-Louis-de-Terrebonne sits 162 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Nearby, in order: Lac des Gelinottes at about 1.6 km, Lac des Tetras sits 2.2 km out, Lac Tcomarke at about 2.8 km, Lac des Vingt sits 3 km out and Lac de la Fougere at about 3.3 km. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Gros-Becs

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Survey and observation records for Lanaudière include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and rock bass. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Lac des Gros-Becs gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 17°C; the cold one sits at -16°C. The ice season is long here and the open one short. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. The water is typically free of ice between early May and mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. The season on Lac des Gros-Becs rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. If the gate is shut, Lac des Gelinottes at 1.6 km is the nearest alternative. Where Lac des Gros-Becs is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.