Lac Vliet in Outaouais: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac Vliet is one of the Outaouais waters in Quebec. Beyond the shoreline you have pine and birch. With some 13 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The bank runs about 1.5 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. 102 km away sits Saint-Boniface, the nearest town. Ferme-Neuve is 110 km and Maniwaki 114 km. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lac Vliet

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Records held for Outaouais cover pumpkinseed, yellow perch, smallmouth bass and rainbow smelt. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Lac Vliet gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -17°C in January up to 18°C in July. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early May. On average, early May opens the water and late November closes it again. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Lac Vliet fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. You can camp about 610 m away, going by the mapping. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Failing this one, try Reservoir Cabonga, 1.4 km away. Nothing on Lac Vliet should be assumed from this page alone.