Lac Simard Fishing near Saint-Donat-de-Montcalm, Quebec

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac Simard falls inside Lanaudière. Elevation runs to 502 metres. The water covers some 23 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. With about 2.0 km of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Nearest place of any size is Saint-Donat-de-Montcalm, 14 km away. Saint-Michel-des-Saints is 33 km and Chertsey 42 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac Simard

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Open biodiversity records for Lanaudière list pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, rock bass and brook trout. The county list is broader than any single water. Work Lac Simard in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 17°C for July and -14°C for January. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Ice clears near late April and comes back about late November in a typical year. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. It holds true on Lac Simard more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is a mapped slipway roughly 1.2 km away. A rest area sits about 410 m from the water. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Failing this one, try Lac Garnet, 0.6 km away. Check the position on Lac Simard before loading the car.