Lac Garnet in Lanaudière: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Lanaudière end of Quebec holds Lac Garnet. It sits at 518 metres above sea level. Small at around 8 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Quebec listings. The nearest town is Saint-Donat-de-Montcalm, 14 km away. Saint-Michel-des-Saints is 33 km and Chertsey 42 km. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac Garnet

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Across Lanaudière, recorded fish include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and rock bass. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Lac Garnet the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -15°C to 17°C. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Ice is part of the season here, ending near late April. Climate figures give an open season running late April to late November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Time your trip to Lac Garnet by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. A picnic site 1.1 km off makes this workable with family in tow. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. If the gate is shut, Lac Simard at 0.6 km is the nearest alternative. Signs at Lac Garnet carry more weight than any list.