Lac Herelle Fishing in Lanaudière, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Herelle is set in Lanaudière, Quebec. The country here is pine and birch. At about 43 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Some 5.3 km of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. Few waters listed in Lanaudière are bigger. Some 23 km away sits Saint-Michel-des-Saints, the nearest settlement. Manawan follows at 49 km, then Saint-Donat-de-Montcalm at 55 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac Herelle

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Species logged across Lanaudière include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, rock bass and brook trout. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Take Lac Herelle a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 17°C in July and bottom out at -15°C in January. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near late April. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Anyone fishing Lac Herelle regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. 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. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Should this one be busy, Lac en Coeur is 0.8 km off. Treat access at Lac Herelle as something to verify.