Lac Onitcanew in Lanaudière: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac Onitcanew lies within the bounds of Lanaudière, Quebec. Elevation runs to 399 metres. At roughly 5 hectares, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. For a base, Manawan sits 32 km out. Trois-Rivières is the closest city, 201 km away. Near neighbours include: Lac Seed some 1.5 km off, Lac Telephone the better part of 2.5 km, Lac Falcon some 2.6 km off, Lac Turret the better part of 2.8 km and Lac Zero some 2.9 km off. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lac Onitcanew

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Reported across Lanaudière: pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, rock bass and brook trout. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Lac Onitcanew gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 16°C and January near -16°C. This far north the hard season runs and runs. Break-up comes around early May, and the run that follows is short and strong. Open water usually runs from early May until about mid November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. That shapes the year on Lac Onitcanew.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Failing this one, try Lac Seed, 1.5 km away. Where Lac Onitcanew is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.