Fishing at Lac McLarens, Laurentides, Quebec

• Overview

  Look for Lac McLarens in Laurentides, Quebec. The surface lies 259 metres up. At roughly 10 hectares, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. Around 1.5 km of margin, front to back. Ferme-Neuve at 26 km is the nearest place to stop. Further out sit Mont-Laurier (27 km) and Rivière-Rouge (28 km). Within easy reach: Lac Cecile 2.8 km off, Lac Raquette 3 km, Lac Dore 3.1 km off, Lac Pierre 3.1 km and Lac Yvon 3.3 km off. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lac McLarens

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Survey and observation records for Laurentides include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and brook trout. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. On Lac McLarens the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 18°C in July and bottoms out near -15°C in January. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late April. The season between ice runs from about late April to late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lac McLarens.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. For a change of water, Lac Cecile is 2.8 km distant. What applies at Lac McLarens may have changed since it was mapped.