Lac des Orties Fishing in Lanaudière, Quebec

• Overview

  The Lanaudière entry here is Lac des Orties, in Quebec. What surrounds it is mixed forest. It is pond-in-a-field scale, with the far bank a short lob away. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Lanaudière. Head to Manawan, 54 km away, for anything you forgot. The big place round here is Trois-Rivières, 131 km distant. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Orties

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Across Lanaudière, recorded fish include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, rock bass and brook trout. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. At Lac des Orties light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 17°C and January about -16°C. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from early May. Averages place the thaw at early May and the freeze at mid November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Anyone fishing Lac des Orties regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Lac Rocher at 0.3 km is the sensible second choice. Where Lac des Orties is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.