Lac Top in Laurentides: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Laurentides, Lac Top is a Quebec water. The bank gives way to spruce and muskeg. About 9 hectares of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Start from Ferme-Neuve, 78 km down the road. Manawan follows at 84 km, then Mont-Laurier at 94 km. Within a short run: Lac Ducarny roughly 1.3 km, Lac Lilian within 2.3 km, Lac Duc roughly 2.5 km, Lac Leroy within 2.9 km and Lac Ram roughly 3.1 km. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Top

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Reported across Laurentides: pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, brook trout and rock bass. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Read Lac Top before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -16°C in January up to 17°C in July. The window is narrow, and fish feed hard while it lasts. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from early May. From about early May to around mid November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Plan around that when you fish Lac Top.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Failing this one, try Lac Ducarny, 1.3 km away. None of that is settled for Lac Top in what we hold.