Lac Valiquette in Laurentides: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Within Laurentides, Quebec, you have Lac Valiquette. The bank is 455 metres above sea level. About 7 hectares of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. For a base, Rivière-Rouge sits 37 km out. It is 123 km to Saint-Louis-de-Terrebonne, the nearest city. More in the same country: Lac Tittlit near enough 2.2 km, Petit lac Froid 2.3 km away, Lac De Miollis near enough 2.3 km, Lac Rox 2.3 km away and Lac Grandive near enough 2.3 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lac Valiquette

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Fish documented in Laurentides include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and brook trout. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. The shape of Lac Valiquette rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 17°C in July and bottom out at -15°C in January. This far north the hard season runs and runs. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early May. Average temperatures cross freezing around early May in spring and again near mid November in autumn. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. At Lac Valiquette the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Lac Tittlit sits 2.2 km off and takes the overflow. For Lac Valiquette in particular, ask before you travel.