Lac du Brochet Fishing Guide, Outaouais, Quebec

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac du Brochet falls inside Outaouais. It lies 313 metres above sea level. The water covers some 58 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Shoreline length is close to 7.1 km, and each section fishes a little differently. Size puts it in the front rank of our Outaouais list. The closest town, Wakefield, is 9.8 km away. Gatineau sits 33 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Brochet

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Outaouais records list pumpkinseed, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, rainbow smelt and Iowa darter among the fish reported. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The shape of Lac du Brochet decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 19°C and January about -13°C. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about early December. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Lac du Brochet fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. The nearest alternative is Lac Herring, 0.8 km out. Nothing on Lac du Brochet should be assumed from this page alone.