Fishing at Lac Guinard, Laurentides, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Guinard sits within Laurentides in Quebec. What surrounds it is mixed forest. About 5 hectares of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. The town to know is Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel, 19 km out. Orléans is the closest city, 70 km away. Close by you also have: Lac Fourchu 0.9 km off, Lac Marette within 1.3 km, Lac Gestel 2.6 km off, Lac Assad within 2.7 km and Lac Yvrac 2.7 km off. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lac Guinard

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Public occurrence data for Laurentides names pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, brook trout and rock bass. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Lac Guinard responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -14°C in January up to 18°C in July. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. Ice clears near late April and comes back about late November in a typical year. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Plan around that when you fish Lac Guinard.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Lac Fourchu at 0.9 km is the sensible second choice. The position on Lac Guinard is worth confirming on the day.