Lac Ardu Fishing in Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Ardu sits within Mauricie in Quebec. Around the bank it is pine and birch. A splashy cast here empties the swim; a quiet one owns it. It is a small entry by Mauricie standards. Nearest place of any size is La Tuque, 52 km away. Beyond it, Métabetchouan at 70 km and Chambord at 74 km. Others close at hand: Lac a l'Abri about 1.3 km, Lac Denis 3.3 km off, Lac Cote about 3.8 km, Lac Troue 4 km off and Deuxieme lac Chasse about 4.1 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lac Ardu

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Survey and observation records for Mauricie include northern pike, brook trout, walleye and yellow perch. The county list is broader than any single water. On Lac Ardu that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 17°C in July and bottom out at -16°C in January. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Winter locks it down, and late April brings it back. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about mid November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. That is the shape of the year on Lac Ardu.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. The nearest alternative is Lac a l'Abri, 1.3 km out. Ask locally about Lac Ardu if anything is unclear.