Lac Ernie, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  The Lanaudière entry here is Lac Ernie, in Quebec. The bank is 443 metres above sea level. Around 23 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. The full circuit measures close to 2.1 km on foot. The nearest place of any size is Mont-Tremblant, 21 km away. Saint-Louis-de-Terrebonne sits 93 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Lac Ernie

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Public occurrence data for Lanaudière names pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and rock bass. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Lac Ernie light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 17°C and January near -15°C. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Once it clears, about early May, the fishing comes on quickly. Ice clears near early May and comes back about mid November in a typical year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Plan around that when you fish Lac Ernie.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, 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. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Lac Vors sits 0.9 km off and takes the overflow. None of that is settled for Lac Ernie in what we hold.