Fishing at Lac Eric, Laurentides, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Eric falls in Laurentides, part of Quebec. It lies 425 metres above sea level. The water covers some 14 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Around 1.9 km of margin, front to back. The closest town, Ferme-Neuve, is 81 km distant. Mont-Laurier is 96 km away, with Saint-Boniface at 100 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Eric

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. County-wide records name pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, brook trout and rock bass. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Lac Eric gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -17°C to 17°C. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. The open-water window runs from around early May to about mid November in an average year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. The season on Lac Eric rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. For a change of water, Lac Church is 0.6 km distant. Ask locally about Lac Eric if anything is unclear.