Petit lac Sainte-Anne Fishing in Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec

• Overview

  Petit lac Sainte-Anne is set in Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec. The water sits 626 metres up. The water covers some 23 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Around 3.0 km of margin, front to back. Size puts it in the front rank of our Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine list. Supplies mean a trip to Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, 37 km off. Saguenay is the closest city, 378 km away. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Petit lac Sainte-Anne

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine cover American eel, striped bass and alewife. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Treat Petit lac Sainte-Anne as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 14°C; by January the average is down near -16°C. Cold dominates the calendar on water this far north. The lid usually goes in mid May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. The water is typically free of ice between mid May and early November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. It holds true on Petit lac Sainte-Anne more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. The nearest alternative is Petit lac Marsoui, 3 km out. Nothing on Petit lac Sainte-Anne should be assumed from this page alone.