Lac Lafortune in Lanaudière: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  This water sits in Lanaudière, Quebec. The ground round it is lake country bush. The whole thing is a single swim; walk it in a minute. It is a small entry by Lanaudière standards. For a base, Sainte-Béatrix sits 5 km out. The big place round here is Terrebonne, 51 km distant. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac Lafortune

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Lanaudière records list pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, rock bass and brook trout among the fish reported. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Read Lac Lafortune for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -13°C in January and 19°C in July. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. Open water usually runs from late April until about early December. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Lac Lafortune runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Failing this one, try Lac Brisson, 0.2 km away. For Lac Lafortune, the notice at the access point is the final word.