Lac Racicot, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  This water sits in Laurentides, Quebec. The surface lies 445 metres up. It measures about 12 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The edge runs 1.7 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Some 35 km away sits Rivière-Rouge, the nearest settlement. Saint-Louis-de-Terrebonne sits 136 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Lac Racicot

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Fish documented in Laurentides include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass and yellow perch. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. On Lac Racicot that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 17°C and January about -15°C. Winter shuts the surface down for months. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Climate figures give an open season running late April to late November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. The season on Lac Racicot follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Overnight stays are possible about 830 m out, where camping is mapped. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Failing this one, try Lac Hatchery, 0.9 km away. Check the position on Lac Racicot before loading the car.