Petit lac Paradis in Outaouais: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  This water sits in Outaouais, Quebec. The bank is 229 metres above sea level. At about 11 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Bank access stretches around 1.9 km in total. The nearest place of any size is Saint-Boniface, 11 km away. Gatineau sits 117 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Petit lac Paradis

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Across Outaouais, recorded fish include pumpkinseed, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, rainbow smelt and Iowa darter. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Petit lac Paradis the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -14°C and July at about 18°C, the water has a wide range to work through. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late April. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about late November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Plan around that when you fish Petit lac Paradis.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Lac Rocheleau sits 1 km off and takes the overflow. Ask locally about Petit lac Paradis if anything is unclear.