Lac Vauchelle, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Lac Vauchelle lies within the bounds of Lanaudière, Quebec. The bank is 448 metres above sea level. With some 12 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. A shoreline of some 1.4 km keeps the choices simple. Some 34 km away sits Saint-Michel-des-Saints, the nearest settlement. For a city, Saint-Louis-de-Terrebonne is 111 km off. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac Vauchelle

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Public occurrence data for Lanaudière names pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, rock bass and brook trout. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Take Lac Vauchelle a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -15°C in January up to 17°C in July. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early May. Open water usually runs from early May until about late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. It holds true on Lac Vauchelle more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. 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. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Lac Fulleren sits 0.7 km off and takes the overflow. Check the position on Lac Vauchelle before loading the car.