Lac Francoeur in Outaouais: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  You will find Lac Francoeur in Outaouais, Quebec. What surrounds it is lake country bush. It covers about 5 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. The nearest town is Deep River, 37 km away. After that come Chalk River at 40 km and Petawawa at 46 km. What else is close: Lac Lepine just 1.7 km, Lac des Peupliers about 2.1 km, Lac Raymond just 2.7 km, Lac Smallpox about 3.2 km and Lac Graveline just 3.3 km. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac Francoeur

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Across Outaouais, recorded fish include pumpkinseed, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, rainbow smelt and Iowa darter. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Work Lac Francoeur in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 18°C in July and bottom out at -14°C in January. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Time your trip to Lac Francoeur by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Lac Lepine sits 1.7 km off and takes the overflow. Nothing here settles the position at Lac Francoeur for certain.