Lac Fourchu in Laurentides: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Laurentides end of Quebec holds Lac Fourchu. The surface lies 297 metres up. Surface area is around 10 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. About 1.8 km of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. 19 km away sits Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel, the nearest town. Orléans is the closest city, 71 km away. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Fourchu

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Fish documented in Laurentides include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass and yellow perch. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Lac Fourchu that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -14°C in January and 18°C in July. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. Ice clears near late April and comes back about late November in a typical year. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Anyone fishing Lac Fourchu regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. For a change of water, Lac Marette is 0.8 km distant. For Lac Fourchu, the notice at the access point is the final word.