Lac du Chat, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Lac du Chat is a Laurentides water, in Quebec. Lake country bush runs right down to the water. Surface area runs to about 4 hectares — small enough to read in one session. Most waters listed here for Laurentides are larger. Start from Ferme-Neuve, 45 km down the road. Further out sit Manawan (57 km) and Mont-Laurier (61 km). Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Chat

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. County-wide records name pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, brook trout and rock bass. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Lac du Chat fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 17°C for July and -16°C for January. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about late November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lac du Chat.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Petit lac Welch sits 0.7 km off and takes the overflow. What applies at Lac du Chat may have changed since it was mapped.