Petit lac des Vases, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Quebec holds Petit lac des Vases, in Outaouais. Elevation runs to 263 metres. It covers about 7 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Start from Saint-Raphaël, 29 km down the road. For a city, Gatineau is 92 km off. Round about: Lac Pair at 2.3 km, Lac Sand out at 3 km, Lac Luton at 3.7 km, Lac Clair out at 4.4 km and Lac Vert at 4.7 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Petit lac des Vases

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. County-wide records name pumpkinseed, yellow perch, smallmouth bass and rainbow smelt. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Petit lac des Vases repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -14°C in January and 18°C in July. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. The season between ice runs from about late April to late November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. It sets the rhythm of the year at Petit lac des Vases.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Lac Pair at 2.3 km is the sensible second choice. Treat Petit lac des Vases as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.