Fishing at Lac McConeghy, Outaouais, Quebec

• Overview

  Outaouais in Quebec is where Lac McConeghy sits. The land about it is pine and birch. The water covers some 49 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. With about 3.6 km of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Size puts it in the front rank of our Outaouais list. Fort-Coulonge lies 46 km from the water. It is 121 km to Gatineau, the nearest city. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lac McConeghy

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. County-wide records name pumpkinseed, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, rainbow smelt and Iowa darter. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Work Lac McConeghy in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 18°C on average, January about -14°C. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late April. Averages place the thaw at late April and the freeze at late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Lac McConeghy fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. If the gate is shut, Lac Huard at 4.8 km is the nearest alternative. Confirm before you fish Lac McConeghy.