Fishing at Lac Tate, Outaouais, Quebec

• Overview

  Within Outaouais, Quebec, you have Lac Tate. The surface lies 411 metres up. The water measures roughly 4 hectares, so nothing here is far from anything else. It is a small entry by Outaouais standards. The nearest place of any size is Saint-Boniface, 58 km away. The big place round here is Gatineau, 149 km distant. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Tate

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Outaouais records list pumpkinseed, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, rainbow smelt and Iowa darter among the fish reported. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. The near bank of Lac Tate is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 18°C, the coldest about -16°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about late November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lac Tate.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. 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. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Lac Moxley is 2.7 km distant. Confirm before you fish Lac Tate.