Lac Wapiti in Laurentides: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac Wapiti falls inside Laurentides. Taiga runs right down to the water. With some 51 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. With 6.6 km or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. On our Laurentides list it sits near the top for size. The nearest town is Ferme-Neuve, 71 km away. Further out sit Manawan (71 km) and Mont-Laurier (88 km). No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac Wapiti

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Open biodiversity records for Laurentides list pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and brook trout. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. The shape of Lac Wapiti rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 17°C for July and -16°C for January. The year here is short and sharp: a long lid, then a burst of open water. Once it clears, about early May, the fishing comes on quickly. The lid tends to go about early May and return around mid November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lac Wapiti.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Lac Mazer is 1.6 km distant. Check the position on Lac Wapiti before loading the car.