Lac Ernest in Laurentides: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Laurentides end of Quebec holds Lac Ernest. It lies 224 metres above sea level. With some 29 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. There is not much shape to the outline, and the wind crosses it unbroken. Few waters listed in Laurentides are bigger. Mont-Laurier lies 18 km from the water. Saint-Boniface is 21 km away, with Maniwaki at 22 km. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Lac Ernest

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Species logged across Laurentides include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and brook trout. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. On Lac Ernest the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 18°C and January about -14°C. Hard water is a season in its own right here. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late April. From about late April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. On Lac Ernest that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. The nearest alternative is Petit lac Travers, 0.7 km out. Check the position on Lac Ernest before loading the car.