Fishing at Lac Montgomery, Laurentides, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Montgomery is one of the Laurentides waters in Quebec. Boreal forest runs right down to the water. With some 49 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The bank runs about 3.7 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. It ranks high for size among our Laurentides listings. Some 83 km away sits Ferme-Neuve, the nearest settlement. Gatineau is the closest city, 214 km away. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lac Montgomery

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Across Laurentides, recorded fish include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, brook trout and rock bass. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Work Lac Montgomery in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 17°C and January about -17°C. Winter owns most of the year at this latitude. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. In an average year the thaw lands around early May and the freeze near mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. On Lac Montgomery that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Lac Wavell sits 1.1 km off and takes the overflow. Signs at Lac Montgomery carry more weight than any list.