Fishing Lac Poliquin in Laurentides, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Poliquin is one of the Laurentides waters in Quebec. This is northern bush country. At some 1.79 sq km it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. At about 22 km of edge, most people work one arm at a time. On our Laurentides list it sits near the top for size. Ferme-Neuve sits 80 km from here and is the nearest stop. Beyond it, Mont-Laurier at 95 km and Saint-Boniface at 97 km. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac Poliquin

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Records held for Laurentides cover pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and brook trout. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Lac Poliquin repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -17°C and July at about 17°C, the water has a wide range to work through. Winter owns most of the year at this latitude. Break-up comes around early May, and the run that follows is short and strong. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early May and starts locking again about mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lac Poliquin.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Lac Alexander, 2.3 km away, makes the obvious fallback. The position on Lac Poliquin is worth confirming on the day.