Fishing at Lac Norraye, Laurentides, Quebec

• Overview

  Out in Laurentides, Quebec, sits Lac Norraye. The surface lies 369 metres up. It covers about 5 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. The town to know is Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel, 23 km out. It is 73 km to Orléans, the nearest city. Within a short drive: Lac des Papillons after 1.4 km, Lac Barly 1.5 km away, Lac des Bouleaux Blancs after 1.6 km, Lac Campel 2.1 km away and Lac de la Marmotte after 2.2 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lac Norraye

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Public occurrence data for Laurentides names pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and brook trout. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. The near bank of Lac Norraye is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 18°C and January at -14°C. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Anyone fishing Lac Norraye regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Should this one be busy, Lac des Papillons is 1.4 km off. The position on Lac Norraye is worth confirming on the day.