Back in December I connected with fellow content creator, Philippe April-LeQuéré of Prise Du Jour, as well as the Quebec Outfitters organization. From there, an exciting opportunity arose for us to plan an ice fishing collaboration. Quebec Outfitters is a network of over 330 outfitters throughout the province, connecting visitors and families to fishing, hunting, and other outdoor activities. Destinations across this vast network range from remote wilderness adventures to retreats closer to urban areas, such as Ottawa. Philippe, my partner Eric, and I spent this past weekend at an outfitter located just a couple of hours northeast of Ottawa, Ontario. We had a fantastic ice fishing trip, getting the chance to catch beautiful rainbow trout and brook trout in a picturesque location, and got to bring home some fresh fish for the table. Thank you to Quebec Outfitters for partnering with us on this memorable adventure!
The Outfitter: Pourvoirie Légendes Des Bois
Pourvoirie Légendes Des Bois is located about 10 kilometers northeast from the town of Duhamel, Quebec. The wonderful hosts here provide transportation to and from the ice. Heated huts equipped with a wood stove are available to rent. While you’re welcome to bring your own fishing gear (as we did, being avid anglers), tip-ups and additional equipment are also available for use, rental, or purchase.
Explore ice fishing opportunities with Quebec Outfitters: http://quebecoutfitters.com/ice-fishing
Ice Fishing for Trout
Day One
We arrived on Saturday morning and checked into our accommodations in the Pavilion, which overlooks Lac de la Galette. What a view! We would be spending two days here targeting rainbow trout and brook trout which are stocked and managed by the outfitter.
Lac de la Galette is one of 8 exclusive lakes accessible to visitors here. As per outfitter rules, guests are allowed to keep up to 10 trout per license, and ice fishing is permitted from 8am to 4pm. Catch and release is not permitted here, so all fish caught must be kept. I was excited for the chance to bring home some fresh fish.
Upon getting out on the ice, Philippe, Eric and I got our set-lines assembled using Jaw Jackers in depths ranging from 3 feet of water to as deep as 15 feet. Eric and I used a range of techniques including 1/8oz Northland Tackle Tungsten Crappie King Jigs tipped with PowerBait Glitter Chroma-Glow Dough, 1/16oz Eurotackle Spade Blades, as well as an attractor spoon (the Williams Wabler Lite) with a dropper hook and a piece of live nightcrawler. Myself and Philippe did a bit of jigging, but the set-lines performed best. We hadn’t even got all our lines in the water before we were racing through the snow to our Jaw Jackers, catching vibrant rainbows and brookies! In Quebec, the use of live baitfish is not permitted (and note that dead baitfish are also strictly prohibited on-site). However, anglers are allowed to fish with up to 5 lines per person through the ice in the zone we were fishing (zone 10). We are used to fishing 2 lines per person when ice fishing in Ontario where I live, so the added lines definitely kept us busy! We caught fish at various depths, but 8-12 feet of water proved to be most productive.
Photos of Eric and myself with some stunning brook trout. Eric picked his fish up off the tip of a downed tree on a spoon & dropper hook with a piece of nightcrawler. I picked up mine on a 1/8oz Northland Tackle Tungsten Crappie King Jig tipped with PowerBait Glitter Chroma-Glow Dough. Our total fish count for the day between the 3 of us was 8 rainbow trout, and 5 brook trout.
Philippe landed the most exciting catch of the day, a beautiful 24” rainbow trout! He will be posting a YouTube recap of our day, and I’ll be sure to include it here!
We ended our first day with a delicious meal prepared by Philippe, featuring his chunky rainbow trout catch. It was some of the tastiest trout I’ve had, and I look forward to attempting to make this recipe!
Day Two
Philippe departed on Sunday morning, and Eric and I headed back out on the ice late morning in hopes to complete our limits. Once again, before we could even get all of our lines in the water, our Jaw Jackers began firing off and kept us busy right from the start! We set up in the same general area however decided to shift areas slightly and expand on what we’d learned the day before. The most productive depths on this day ranged from 4 to 8 feet of water.
The sun was shining and the rainbows (and brookies) were biting! We ended up completing our limits with 8 rainbow trout and 4 brook trout. It was then time to pack up and head back to Ottawa after an eventful 2 days of fishing at such a scenic location!
Thank you to Quebec Outfitters for this amazing experience, and to our wonderful hosts at Pourvoirie Légendes Des Bois, we won’t forget this trip! It was great to get a chance to fish with Philippe of Prise du Jour, and I look forward to more adventures to come!
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