Lac Prince, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Look for Lac Prince in the Laurentides part of Quebec. The bank gives way to rolling bush. It covers about 6 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel is the closest place, 20 km off. Then La Minerve, 21 km, and Lac-Simon, 34 km. Others worth noting: Lac Lelat (1 km), Lac Turck some 1.2 km off, Lac Ernest (1.8 km), Lac Vry some 1.9 km off and Lac Bourne (2 km). Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac Prince

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Laurentides records list pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, brook trout and rock bass among the fish reported. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Lac Prince the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 18°C in July and bottom out at -14°C in January. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about late November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Lac Prince.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. The nearest alternative is Lac Lelat, 1 km out. Nothing here settles the position at Lac Prince for certain.