Fishing at Lac Pagetiere, Outaouais, Quebec

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac Pagetiere belongs to Outaouais. Height above sea level is 373 metres. It runs to roughly 15 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. A shoreline of some 2.0 km keeps the choices simple. The closest town, Saint-Boniface, is 55 km distant. Further out sit Maniwaki (66 km) and Saint-Raphaël (77 km). The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Pagetiere

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Open biodiversity records for Outaouais list pumpkinseed, yellow perch, smallmouth bass and rainbow smelt. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Read Lac Pagetiere for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 17°C; the cold one sits at -16°C. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. 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. On Lac Pagetiere that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. For a change of water, Lac Galoubet is 0.8 km distant. Treat Lac Pagetiere as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.