Fishing Lac Wavell in Laurentides, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Wavell lies in Laurentides, in Quebec. It lies 453 metres above sea level. With some 23 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Shoreline comes to about 2.3 km, small enough to learn in a day. Ferme-Neuve sits 83 km from the bank. Gatineau sits 215 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lac Wavell

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. County-wide records name pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass and yellow perch. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Lac Wavell gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 17°C in July and bottom out at -17°C in January. Water stays cold even at the height of the year. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Climate figures give an open season running early May to mid November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Plan around that when you fish Lac Wavell.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Lac des Abattis sits 1 km off and takes the overflow. Check the position at Lac Wavell before loading the car.