Lac Sycone in Outaouais: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Outaouais end of Quebec holds Lac Sycone. Height above sea level is 351 metres. It covers about 6 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Start from Saint-Boniface, 73 km down the road. Gatineau is the closest city, 189 km away. Round about: Lac Fisher out at 1.9 km, Lac Spire roughly 2 km, Lac du Fanal out at 2 km, Lac Salignac roughly 2.1 km and Lac du Petit Castor out at 2.3 km. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac Sycone

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Outaouais include pumpkinseed, yellow perch, smallmouth bass and rainbow smelt. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. The near bank of Lac Sycone is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 17°C and January reads -17°C. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Once it clears, about early May, the fishing comes on quickly. Climate averages put the opening at about early May and the closing near late November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. On Lac Sycone that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. The water borders Réserve faunique La Vérendrye, so expect the reserve rules to apply. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Lac Fisher at 1.9 km is the sensible second choice. Rules at Lac Sycone are worth checking on the day.