Lac Fontigny in Capitale-Nationale: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac Fontigny belongs to Capitale-Nationale, Quebec. The setting is lake country bush on every side. You can fish the entire water from one spot if you pick it well. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Capitale-Nationale. The town to know is Laurentides, 7.3 km out. Then Saint-Raymond, 38 km, and Sainte-Thècle, 42 km. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Fontigny

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Records held for Capitale-Nationale cover lake sturgeon, Atlantic sturgeon and longnose sucker. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Fish Lac Fontigny where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -15°C to 17°C. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. From about late April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. At Lac Fontigny the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. For walleye, a jig and minnow near the bottom is the standard; evenings beat middays. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Lac Bertelet is 1.2 km distant. Confirm before you fish Lac Fontigny.