Premier Lac in Lanaudière: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Within Lanaudière, Quebec, you have Premier Lac. It sits at 427 metres above sea level. About 10 hectares of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Around 2.1 km of margin, front to back. Manawan lies 48 km from the water. Further out sit Saint-Michel-des-Saints (60 km) and La Tuque (77 km). This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Premier Lac

  Our records hold no depth for this water. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Fish documented in Lanaudière include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and rock bass. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Premier Lac the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 17°C and January at -16°C. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. The lid usually goes in early May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Open water usually runs from early May until about mid November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. That is the shape of the year on Premier Lac.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Should this one be busy, Deuxieme Lac is 0.9 km off. Check the position on Premier Lac before loading the car.