Lac Peneleau, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac Peneleau falls inside Laurentides. It lies 396 metres above sea level. With some 32 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The margin runs to about 6.5 km in total. Few waters listed in Laurentides are bigger. Ferme-Neuve is the closest town at 65 km. It is 195 km to Gatineau, the nearest city. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lac Peneleau

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Across Laurentides, recorded fish include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, brook trout and rock bass. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. The shape of Lac Peneleau decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 17°C and January about -16°C. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. Average temperatures cross freezing around early May in spring and again near mid November in autumn. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. It holds true on Lac Peneleau more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. For a change of water, Lac Nancy is 1.9 km distant. For Lac Peneleau, the notice at the access point is the final word.