Lac Lester Fishing near Fort-Coulonge, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Lester is an Outaouais water, Quebec side. The surface lies 293 metres up. At 4 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. On size it sits at the modest end of our Outaouais list. The closest town, Fort-Coulonge, is 35 km distant. Further out sit Saint-Raphaël (37 km) and Maniwaki (50 km). The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Lester

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Outaouais records list pumpkinseed, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, rainbow smelt and Iowa darter among the fish reported. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Work Lac Lester in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 18°C on average, January about -14°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late April. The season between ice runs from about late April to late November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. That is the shape of the year on Lac Lester.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Lac Triangle sits 1.5 km off and takes the overflow. Signs at Lac Lester carry more weight than any list.