Fishing at Lac Diatomees, Outaouais, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Diatomees sits within Outaouais in Quebec. The surface lies 366 metres up. Supplies mean a trip to Saint-Boniface, 78 km off. Gatineau sits 193 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Within a short drive: Lac Wanlin sits 1.1 km out, Lac Ephemere a shade over 1.5 km, Lac Rougeac sits 1.7 km out, Lac de la Lamproie a shade over 2.1 km and Lac Fortem sits 2.3 km out. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Lac Diatomees

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Outaouais include pumpkinseed, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, rainbow smelt and Iowa darter. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Lac Diatomees fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 17°C and January at -17°C. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. The season between ice runs from about early May to late November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. It holds true on Lac Diatomees more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. For a change of water, Lac Wanlin is 1.1 km distant. For Lac Diatomees in particular, ask before you travel.