Lac Gratton in Laurentides: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  You will find Lac Gratton in Laurentides, Quebec. The land about it is mixed forest. Small at around 5 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Nearest town is La Minerve, 30 km off. Then Mont-Laurier, 31 km, and Rivière-Rouge, 36 km. Within easy reach: Petit lac Gratton the better part of 0.3 km, Lac Guay 0.8 km, Lac Pirey the better part of 0.9 km, Lac des Bromes 1.2 km and Lac Garneau the better part of 1.6 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Gratton

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Species logged across Laurentides include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and brook trout. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The shape of Lac Gratton rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 18°C in July and bottoms out near -14°C in January. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late April. Averages place the thaw at late April and the freeze at late November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Time your trip to Lac Gratton by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Failing this one, try Petit lac Gratton, 0.3 km away. Check the position on Lac Gratton before loading the car.