Lac Desert near Chertsey: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  The Lanaudière end of Quebec holds Lac Desert. What surrounds it is rolling bush. It measures about 30 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. About 3.3 km of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. Chertsey is the closest place, 4.5 km off. Saint-Louis-de-Terrebonne sits 46 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Lac Desert

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Survey and observation records for Lanaudière include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, rock bass and brook trout. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Treat Lac Desert as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 18°C in July and bottom out at -14°C in January. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. Open water usually runs from late April until about late November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Time your trip to Lac Desert by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Lac d'Argile sits 1.2 km off and takes the overflow. Rules at Lac Desert are worth checking on the day.