Lac Julien Fishing near Laurentides, Quebec

• Overview

  This water sits in Capitale-Nationale, Quebec. Height above sea level is 328 metres. At 5 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. You are 12 km from Laurentides. After that come Sainte-Thècle at 34 km and Saint-Ubalde at 43 km. Round about: Lac Tage at 0.7 km, Lac Fortin (1.5 km), Lac Bony at 1.8 km, Lac Benard (2.2 km) and Deuxieme lac Jumeau at 2.2 km. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Lac Julien

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Records held for Capitale-Nationale cover lake sturgeon, Atlantic sturgeon, longnose sucker, sauger and channel catfish. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Lac Julien the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 18°C and January near -15°C. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. Expect the water usable from around late April until roughly late November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. The season on Lac Julien follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. For walleye, a jig and minnow near the bottom is the standard; evenings beat middays. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Lac Tage sits 0.7 km off and takes the overflow. Where Lac Julien is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.