Lac a Couvert in Lanaudière: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lanaudière, Quebec, is where Lac a Couvert sits. The setting is spruce and muskeg. The nearest town is Manawan, 36 km away. Rivière-Rouge is 61 km away, with Saint-Michel-des-Saints at 61 km. Other water nearby: Petit lac Rouge out at 1.3 km, Lac Dupuis 1.4 km, Lac Rouge out at 1.8 km, Lac Hermival 1.8 km and Lac Fronde out at 1.9 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lac a Couvert

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. County-wide records name pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, rock bass and brook trout. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. The shape of Lac a Couvert decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -16°C to 17°C. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early May. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early May and starts locking again about mid November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Plan around that when you fish Lac a Couvert.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Petit lac Rouge is 1.3 km distant. For Lac a Couvert, the notice at the access point is the final word.