Fishing Lac du Tamarac in Lanaudière, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac du Tamarac falls in Lanaudière, part of Quebec. It stands 411 metres above sea level. At 8 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Supplies mean a trip to Manawan, 46 km off. Weymontachie is 62 km and Saint-Michel-des-Saints 74 km. Others close at hand: Lac a la Sarcelle 1.5 km, Lac des Gaufres at 1.7 km, Lac des Lampourdes 1.8 km, Lac Toupello at 1.9 km and Lac Pikohosananik 2.1 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Tamarac

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Lanaudière records list pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass and yellow perch among the fish reported. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Lac du Tamarac gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 17°C, the coldest about -16°C. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Break-up comes around early May, and the run that follows is short and strong. Expect the water usable from around early May until roughly mid November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. That is the shape of the year on Lac du Tamarac.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. The nearest alternative is Lac a la Sarcelle, 1.5 km out. The position on Lac du Tamarac is worth confirming on the day.