Lac Wilson in Laurentides: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac Wilson sits within Laurentides in Quebec. Tidal water begins 34 km from here. With some 11 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. With about 1.7 km of edge, you can try several depths in one session. The nearest place of any size is Saint-Sauveur, 4.9 km away. Further out sit Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts (6.6 km) and Morin-Heights (7.5 km). It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lac Wilson

  Our records hold no depth for this water. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. County-wide records name pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and brook trout. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Lac Wilson the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 19°C in July and bottoms out near -13°C in January. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Climate averages put the opening at about late April and the closing near late November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. It holds true on Lac Wilson more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is a jetty 1.2 km off, worth knowing on a busy day. Overnight stays are possible 610 m away. There are toilets 1.1 km off. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Lac Rond sits 0.5 km off and takes the overflow. Treat access at Lac Wilson as something to verify.