The Best Fishing Lakes in Quebec: Where to Go by Species

Choosing a lake by species

This is the only criterion that really matters. Across our listed lakes, these are the most frequently reported species:

If you are starting out, target yellow perch or brook trout: the first can be caught from shore almost anywhere, the second fills the small stocked lakes where success is close to guaranteed.

The big lakes worth knowing

These waters come up again and again, for good reason.

• Lac Saint-Jean (Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean) — walleye, northern pike, perch, burbot. An inland sea, and the home of the landlocked salmon.
• Lake Memphremagog (Eastern Townships) — lake trout, rainbow trout, walleye, brook trout. Deep, long, shared with Vermont.
• Lake Timiskaming (Abitibi-Témiscamingue) — smallmouth bass, walleye, lake sturgeon, pike. Famous for its bass.
• Lac Saint-Louis (Montérégie) — perch, pike, walleye, muskellunge. Twenty minutes from Montreal.
• Lac Saint-François (Eastern Townships) — pike, walleye, perch, whitefish.
• Lac Aylmer (Chaudière-Appalaches) — walleye, pike, bass, perch.
• Lac des Trente et Un Milles (Laurentians) — lake trout, smallmouth bass, whitefish. Deep and vast.

Where to fish in Quebec: lakes by region

Not every region has the same density of listed lakes. Here is the real distribution of our lake spots:

Leaving from Montreal, the Laurentians and Lanaudière are the quickest to reach — our Laurentians fishing guide covers the sectors. For solitude, Abitibi and the Côte-Nord carry the lowest fishing pressure.

Public lake, wildlife reserve, zec or outfitter?

The same lake is not fished the same way depending on its status, and that changes both price and booking.

Public lake. Free access, no reservation. This is the majority of our spots. You need a provincial fishing licence and you follow the zone's rules.

Zec. Public land managed by a user association, born of the 1977 déclubbage — see our history of fishing in Quebec. Modest daily access fee, registration at the gate.

Wildlife reserve. Run by Sépaq. Lakes are often limited to one group per lake per day, with a reservation and a boat included. The most reliable formula for brook trout.

Outfitter. Private, with or without exclusive rights. Lodging, boat and sometimes a guide. The most expensive and the most structured.

Getting on the water: launch, dock or shore

Of our 1,826 lake spots, 1,705 have a boat launch, 548 an identified parking area and 254 a dock. In other words, the vast majority assumes a boat.

Without a boat, look for spots with a dock or shore access: fewer, but present in every region. A rocky point, a dam, a bridge or a public ramp often puts depth within casting range from the bank — which is where walleye and bass hold.

By canoe or kayak, you reach the small lakes with no developed launch, the ones under the least pressure. That is often where the fishing is best.

When to go

The best lake at the wrong time gives you nothing.

Spring — right after opening, fish are shallow and feeding hard. The best window of the year for trout and walleye.

Summer — cold-water species drop below the thermocline. Fish early, late or at night, or go deep.

Fall — underrated. The water cools, big fish feed before winter, and the lakes are empty of people.

Winter — ice fishing opens another world on the same lakes. Dates and the number of lines allowed vary by zone.

Our month-by-month fishing calendar covers what bites when.

Before you go: the rule that never changes

Opening dates, catch limits and legal sizes depend on the zone and sometimes on the individual water body. Two lakes thirty kilometres apart can have different rules.

Do not trust a number you read in a guide — including this one. Open your zone's regulations the week you leave, and check the water body's page on the map.