Fishing Petit lac Claude in Lanaudière, Quebec

• Overview

  Petit lac Claude stands in Lanaudière, Quebec. The setting is pine and birch on every side. At 5 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Manawan at 45 km is the nearest place to stop. The nearest city of size is Trois-Rivières, 151 km away. Close by you have: Lac Line 0.9 km away, Lac Ti-Louis lies 1.2 km on, Lac Marcel 1.6 km away, Lac Jacques lies 1.7 km on and Lac Minuscule 1.9 km away. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Petit lac Claude

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Lanaudière records list pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and rock bass among the fish reported. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Petit lac Claude responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -16°C in January up to 17°C in July. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. It holds true on Petit lac Claude more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. For a change of water, Lac Line is 0.9 km distant. Signs at Petit lac Claude carry more weight than any list.