Lac Ruthledge Fishing near Shawville, Quebec

• Overview

  Outaouais in Quebec is where Lac Ruthledge sits. The ground around here is mixed forest. At about 26 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Roughly 2.9 km of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Quebec listings. Shawville is the closest place, 16 km off. Gatineau is the closest city, 51 km away. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Lac Ruthledge

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Open biodiversity records for Outaouais list pumpkinseed, yellow perch, smallmouth bass and rainbow smelt. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Work Lac Ruthledge in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -13°C in January and 19°C in July. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late April. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about early December. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. The season on Lac Ruthledge rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Lac Bob, 0.9 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Lac Ruthledge is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.