Petit lac aux Herbes Fishing Guide, Lanaudière, Quebec

• Overview

  Out in Lanaudière, Quebec, sits Petit lac aux Herbes. Pine and birch runs right down to the water. About 5 hectares of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Saint-Donat-de-Montcalm lies 27 km from the water. Beyond it, Labelle at 37 km and Mont-Tremblant at 38 km. Alternatives close at hand: Lac Penin lies 0.6 km on, Lac aux Herbes about 0.9 km, Lac Sancerre lies 2 km on, Lac Montcourt about 2.1 km and Lac Vidal lies 2.4 km on. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Petit lac aux Herbes

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Survey and observation records for Lanaudière include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and rock bass. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Petit lac aux Herbes responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 17°C, while January sits near -15°C. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. The season between ice runs from about late April to late November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. It sets the rhythm of the year at Petit lac aux Herbes.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. 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. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Failing this one, try Lac Penin, 0.6 km away. The position on Petit lac aux Herbes is worth confirming on the day.