Lac en Coeur Fishing near Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac en Coeur belongs to Laurentides. It lies 512 metres above sea level. At 2 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Most waters listed here for Laurentides are larger. Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts is the closest place, 13 km off. Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard follows at 14 km, then Val-David at 18 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac en Coeur

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Laurentides records list pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, brook trout and rock bass among the fish reported. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Lac en Coeur responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 18°C at the top of summer and -14°C at the bottom of winter. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Time your trip to Lac en Coeur by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Lac Cache at 0.9 km is the sensible second choice. What applies at Lac en Coeur may have changed since it was mapped.