Fishing at Lac Jurlain, Laurentides, Quebec

• Overview

  Set in Laurentides, Quebec, this is Lac Jurlain. Height above sea level is 499 metres. Around 36 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. Roughly 3.0 km of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. Size puts it in the front rank of our Laurentides list. The closest town, Rivière-Rouge, is 40 km distant. After that come Saint-Michel-des-Saints at 45 km and Saint-Donat-de-Montcalm at 46 km. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Lac Jurlain

  We hold no depth figure for this one. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. County-wide records name pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass and yellow perch. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Treat Lac Jurlain as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -15°C to 17°C. Cold dominates the year and the fishing works around it. Ice is part of the season here, ending near early May. On average, early May opens the water and mid November closes it again. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Lac Jurlain runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. The water borders Réserve faunique Rouge-Matawin, so expect the reserve rules to apply. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Failing this one, try Lac Dirinon, 0.6 km away. Signs at Lac Jurlain carry more weight than any list.