Everything happening in La Petite-Nation Français
La Petite Nationlapetitenation.ca Ask

Hunting & fishing

Ice fishing in La Petite-Nation, where you can and where you can't

No, you can't drill Lac Simon in January. The four lakes where trout stays open all winter, Duhamel's turnkey package and the rules to know before you pack the auger.

By La Petite Nation ·

Fallen tree trunk in Lac de la Ferme under a cloudy sky in Duhamel
Photo: Fralambert, CC BY-SA 4.0

First thing, because it catches cottagers off guard every single year: there's no ice fishing on Lac Simon. Or Papineau, or Gagnon, or Lac des Plages. A good chunk of the lakes in La Petite-Nation close to all fishing from December 20 to March 31.

The good news is there are still options. One of them even comes with the holes already drilled.

Lakes closed in winter

Under the zone 10 exceptions, these lakes are closed to all fishing from December 20 to March 31:

Simon, Papineau, Gagnon, Iroquois, des Plages, de la Carpe, la Rouge, Saint-Sixte, Hawk, Lady, Smallian, Britannique, en Coeur, Long (Mayo), Grand lac à Roy, Grand lac du Pin Rouge, Blais, à la Croix, Viceroy and Petit lac Preston.

If your cottage lake is on that list, the auger stays in the shed.

The four lakes where trout stays open

Trout closes September 15 across zone 10, except on four lakes where it's allowed from December 20 to March 31. These are the real ice fishing spots around here.

Sunset over a lake ringed by wooded hillsIllustration

Lake

Lac Mulet

Montpellier

Linked to Lac Croche by trail. Unusual for the area, trout stays open here through the winter.

Lac Simon in autumn, with cottages and coloured hills on the far shoreIllustration

Lake

Lac Vert

Val-des-Bois

The little lake right in Val-des-Bois village. Stocked every year, no gas motors, and open for trout summer and winter.

Lac de la Ferme, Duhamel

The classic. Lac de la Ferme is two kilometres south of the village on chemin du Tour-du-Lac. Access is free, there's a log shelter, and the lake is stocked with brook trout every year by the town, the Centre touristique du Lac-Simon and ACPTA. Bring folding chairs.

The town asks people to keep five trout per licence at most. That's not the legal limit, it's a request so there's some left for the next family. Do it.

No gear? The Sépaq's Centre touristique du Lac-Simon runs a package that covers everything: five pre-drilled holes, five tip-ups, 18 worms and hot drinks. Book 24 hours ahead at 819 428-7931. For a first outing with kids, it's hard to beat.

The package is booked the day before. On a nice February weekend, don't wait until Thursday night.

Lac Croche and Lac Mulet, Montpellier

The Lac Croche recreation site is 14 km from Montpellier village along chemin de la Baie-de-l'Ours. The lake is stocked and the lodge is heated with a wood stove, which matters a lot at minus 20. There are also more than 30 km of trails, so half the group can snowshoe while the other half watches the tip-ups. Local ATV riders meet up there year-round.

Lac Mulet connects to Lac Croche by trail. Same deal: trout allowed in winter. If a lake trout shows up on your line, it needs to be 45 cm or more.

Right next door, Lac Blais closes on December 20. Two neighbouring lakes, two sets of rules. That's zone 10 for you.

Lac Vert, Val-des-Bois

Little Lac Vert sits right in Val-des-Bois village, near the 309. Stocked every year, open to trout summer and winter. Handy when you want an hour or two on the ice without 40 minutes of bush road.

What about walleye, pike and perch?

Under zone 10 seasons, walleye and pike run May 15 to March 31, bass June 15 to March 31, and perch all year. So on a lake that is not on the winter closure list and has no other exception, those species stay open under the ice.

Check lake by lake in the zone 10 regulations, though. Example: on Lac de l'Argile, walleye, pike and bass close November 30.

Outfitters and cottages

Pourvoirie Légendes des Bois, north of Duhamel, is open year-round and offers ice fishing on its territory in winter. It's an exclusive-rights outfitter, so rules and rates are a conversation with them.

The Cozy Chalet on Lac Bélisle in Saint-André-Avellin also advertises winter ice fishing.

A day open to everyone

The Val-des-Bois/Bowman hunting and fishing club hosts an ice fishing day open to all. For the date, go through the Val-des-Bois town office. Good way to meet locals and see how they rig their tip-ups.

Licence and the rest

  • Same fishing licence as summer, on you, with photo ID. Under-18s with a Pêche en herbe certificate don't need one.
  • Vendors: see the list in our fishing guide.
  • The ice is your responsibility. Nobody measures it for you. If in doubt, ask the town office before you walk out.
  • Cell service doesn't reach everywhere in the MRC. Tell someone where you're going and when you'll be back.
  • Winter tires are mandatory in Québec from December 1 to March 15 for Québec plates. Ontario plates aren't covered, but our January hills don't care. Check Québec 511 before heading up to Duhamel.

Before or after

In Duhamel, the Coopérative de solidarité reopened in June 2026 with gas and a convenience store, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days. For lunch, Carbo Barbecue sells vacuum-packed smoked meals to take back to the cottage, and at Rendez-vous du chevreuil (closed Monday and Tuesday) you can watch deer and wild turkeys out the window in winter. After a morning on the ice, it hits the spot.

Full dates and official links are in the hunting and fishing guide.

DuhamelMontpellierVal-des-BoisLac-SimonSaint-André-Avellin

Read next