Fishing at Lac Perreault, Lanaudière, Quebec

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac Perreault belongs to Lanaudière. The bank is 376 metres above sea level. About 10 hectares of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Nearest town is Saint-Donat-de-Montcalm, 7.5 km off. Saint-Louis-de-Terrebonne sits 75 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Alternatives close at hand: Lac Chambord out at 1.4 km, Lac Croche at 2.6 km, Lac Sombre out at 2.6 km, Lac Baribeau at 3.2 km and Lac du Carcan out at 3.4 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lac Perreault

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Records held for Lanaudière cover pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, rock bass and brook trout. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Lac Perreault gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 17°C and January reads -14°C. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. The lid tends to go about late April and return around late November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. That shapes the year on Lac Perreault.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. The closest car park is 1.1 km away, so pack accordingly. A camping area sits within 1.2 km of here. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Lac Chambord, 1.4 km away, makes the obvious fallback. What applies at Lac Perreault may have changed since it was mapped.