Lac des Iles Fishing Guide, Laurentides, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac des Iles sits in Laurentides, out in Quebec. The ground round it is taiga. The water covers some 26 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Bank access stretches around 2.5 km in total. On our Laurentides list it sits near the top for size. The nearest town is Manawan, 60 km away. The nearest city of size is Saint-Louis-de-Terrebonne, 212 km away. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Iles

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Survey and observation records for Laurentides include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, brook trout and rock bass. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. At Lac des Iles the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 17°C at the top of summer and -16°C at the bottom of winter. This far north the hard season runs and runs. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early May. Climate figures give an open season running early May to mid November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. The season on Lac des Iles rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. The nearest alternative is Lac Paul, 1.2 km out. None of that is settled for Lac des Iles in what we hold.