Lac Hanley in Laurentides: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  You will find Lac Hanley in Laurentides, Quebec. The water sits 388 metres up. The water covers some 31 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The perimeter runs near 6.0 km, so plan the walk before you start. Few waters listed in Laurentides are bigger. Ferme-Neuve lies 92 km from the water. For a city, Gatineau is 228 km off. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lac Hanley

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. County-wide records name pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, brook trout and rock bass. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. At Lac Hanley the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -17°C in January up to 17°C in July. Winter runs most of the calendar, and everything worth doing happens in the gap. Winter locks it down, and early May brings it back. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early May and starts locking again about mid November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lac Hanley.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Failing this one, try Lac Longene, 0.7 km away. Confirm access to Lac Hanley locally before you travel.