Winter 2006

Quebec Offers Fantastic Fishing

By MIKE SEYMOUR

Located just north of Ottawa in southwest Quebec, the Outaouais Region is a paradise for anglers. The Outaouais (pronounced oot-away) boasts of 20,000 lakes, a dozen river systems, the Baskaton and Cabonga reservoirs, La Verendrye Park, and 20,000 square miles of wilderness. Primary species throughout the area include walleye, grey (lake) trout, speckled (brook) trout, northern pike, smallmouth bass, and largemouth bass.
Nearly three dozen outfitters serve the vast Outaouais Region, and this past summer I joined friends and fellow outdoor writers, Leo Maloney of Sherrill and Bill Hollister of Valatie, for four days of fishing with two of the outfitters, Fairmont Kenauk at Chateau Montebello and Adventure Joncas.

Fairmont Kenauk
Located off Route 148 near Montebello and half way between Ottawa and Montreal, Fairmont Kenauk covers 65,000 acres of boreal forest. Kenauk has 25 fishing lakes, and available species include brook trout, rainbow trout, lake trout, brown trout, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, and northern pike. Thirteen chalets, varying in size from one to six bedrooms, are located on Kenauk's various waterways
Leo, Bill, and I stayed at Pine Camp located on the Kinonge River. The first morning we fished Mills Lake for rainbow trout. Using a pair of 12-foot boats powered by electric motors, Leo and I teamed up while Bill fished with guide Claude Cromp. Leo trolled a wobbler and worm, and the rest of us trolled bead headed woolly buggers (olive and black) on a sinking fly line. The fish were suspended 10 feet below the surface, and the morning's efforts produced three dozen rainbows.
That afternoon the four of us fished Papineau Lake for lake trout. We utilized two techniques, drifting ¾-ounce jigs tipped with a minnow and trolling streamers on a fly rod. The streamers proved a more effective offering than did the jigs. Later that afternoon, we caught some pike while casting from shore along the Kinonge River.
The next morning brought our most adventurous outing at Kenauk as we hiked 30 minutes through the bush to Big Bent Lake in search of brook trout. Using a pair of 12-foot boats powered by oars, Bill and I teamed up as Leo joined Gilles Picard of Outaouais Tourism. Bill and I caught eight brookies on spinners and worms, but the other boat, under Gilles' expert guidance, quadrupled our catch as they, too, used spinners and worms.
That afternoon we boarded a DeHaviland Beaver at Papineau Lake and headed north to Adventure Joncas.

Adventure Joncas
Located in La Verendrye Park, Adventure Joncas has access to 150 lakes, all of which have walleye and northern pike. The outfitter maintains boats on 50 of the lakes, some of which also have blue walleyes and lake trout. Anglers here literally have their own lake to fish for the day. Accommodations at Joncas include a main lodge capable of holding 20 people and 12 cottages. Located on Joncas Lake, this outfitting service can be reached by a 212-mile car ride from Hull, by wheel based plane from any airport, and by floatplane. Eric Desjardins, defenseman for the Philadelphia Flyers, is one of the owners of Adventure Joncas.
Leo, Bill, and I stayed in the main lodge with our Outaouais Region hosts, Gilles Picard and Yves Mercier. On our first evening there, the five of us fished Joncas Lake from a party boat. We anchored in likely looking locations and then cast jigs tipped with a leech or minnow. We allowed the jigs to settle near bottom and then slowly worked them back to the boat.Our efforts produced a combination of walleyes, fallfish, and yellow perch. Bill caught the largest walleye, a six-pounder taken from a shoreline dropoff.
The next morning Rene Larouche, one of the owners of Joncas, made two trips in his Cessna and flew us to nearby Tremblay Lake. Here the six of us loaded our gear into 14-foot aluminum boats with 9.9-horsepower motors and rode the twenty minutes to Lake Algonquin where we fished for walleyes. We concentrated our efforts in a necked down area of the lake where we drifted through a deep hole, backtrolled to the head of the hole, and drifted it again. All three boats worked an area half the size of a football field. Using small jigs tipped with a minnow or leech, we caught several dozen walleyes and a pair of pike.
After a shore lunch of walleye fillets, we worked the same area and picked up another dozen walleyes. Then we headed back to Tremblay Lake where we caught still another dozen walleyes as well as 20 northern pike. Some of the pike were taken on tipped jigs, and others were taken by casting minnow plugs. Several of the morning and afternoon walleyes were ''blue'' ones.
The next morning we concluded our stay at Joncas with a truck ride to Two Mile Lake where we spent two hours casting for northern pike. Our efforts produced six northerns, and then it was time to board the Beaver and head back to Kenauk and then to New York.
More Information
For more information on the Outaouais Region, Fairmont Kenauk, or Adventure Joncas, visit www.outaouais-tourism.ca or call toll-free 800-265-7822.