Lac Malpighie in Outaouais: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Outaouais in Quebec is where Lac Malpighie sits. The bank is 331 metres above sea level. Surface area runs to about 5 hectares — small enough to read in one session. The nearest town is Saint-Boniface, 50 km away. The big place round here is Gatineau, 160 km distant. Also on the doorstep: Lac du Rocher roughly 0.9 km, Lac du Lascar 1.6 km off, Lac a la Bague roughly 2.1 km, Lac du Tangon 2.3 km off and Lac Duffel roughly 3 km. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac Malpighie

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. County-wide records name pumpkinseed, yellow perch, smallmouth bass and rainbow smelt. The county list is broader than any single water. On Lac Malpighie the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -16°C in January up to 18°C in July. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Climate averages put the opening at about late April and the closing near late November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. The season on Lac Malpighie rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. The nearest alternative is Lac du Rocher, 0.9 km out. Nothing here settles the position at Lac Malpighie for certain.