Lac Leon in Lanaudière: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Lanaudière, Lac Leon is a Quebec water. The ground round it is northern bush. Compared with other Quebec water on our list, it sits high. Saint-Donat-de-Montcalm sits 14 km from the bank. It is 88 km to Saint-Louis-de-Terrebonne, the nearest city. Also on the doorstep: Premier Lac (1 km), Lac Crapaud at 2.1 km, Lac Saint-Louis (2.2 km), Lac Faudeux at 2.4 km and Lac Leopold (3.6 km). No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac Leon

  We hold no depth figure for this one. 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. Across Lanaudière, recorded fish include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and rock bass. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Read Lac Leon before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -15°C in January up to 17°C in July. A short, intense season is the rule this far north. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from early May. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early May until roughly mid November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. It holds true on Lac Leon more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Premier Lac, 1 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Rules at Lac Leon are worth checking on the day.