Fishing at Lac William, Lanaudière, Quebec

• Overview

  The Lanaudière end of Quebec holds Lac William. The water sits 359 metres up. About 8 hectares of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. The town to know is Chertsey, 5.3 km out. Sainte-Marguerite-du-Lac-Masson follows at 10 km, then Saint-Hippolyte at 13 km. Within a short run: Lac Lacroix 0.5 km away, Lac Beaulne at 1.3 km, Lac Lepine 1.8 km away, Lac Joseph-Lessard at 2 km and Lac Burton 2 km away. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Lac William

  Our records hold no depth for this water. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Survey and observation records for Lanaudière include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and rock bass. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Lac William responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -14°C in January and 18°C in July. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near late November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Lac William runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Lac Lacroix, 0.5 km away, makes the obvious fallback. None of that is settled for Lac William in what we hold.