Lac Red Fishing in Laurentides, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Red stands in Laurentides, Quebec. Spruce and muskeg runs right down to the water. Surface area runs to about 8 hectares — small enough to read in one session. Supplies mean a trip to Ferme-Neuve, 88 km off. The big place round here is Gatineau, 223 km distant. Also on the doorstep: Lac Lux at about 1 km, Lac Snake a touch under 1.6 km, Lac Conn at about 1.9 km, Lac Lacoursiere a touch under 2.7 km and Lac Lucky at about 2.8 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lac Red

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Across Laurentides, recorded fish include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, brook trout and rock bass. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. The near bank of Lac Red is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 17°C in July and bottom out at -17°C in January. The fishing year opens late and shuts early. The lid usually goes in early May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. The lid tends to go about early May and return around mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. On Lac Red that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, 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. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Lac Lux at 1 km is the sensible second choice. Confirm access to Lac Red locally before you travel.