Fishing Lac Arsene in Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  Quebec holds Lac Arsene, in Mauricie. The water sits 351 metres up. 29 km away sits Shawinigan, the nearest town. Hérouxville is 30 km away, with Saint-Élie-de-Caxton at 32 km. Also on the doorstep: Lac Arthur the better part of 1.2 km, Lac Ecarte 1.3 km away, Lac Alphonse the better part of 1.3 km, Lac en Coeur 2.1 km away and Lac Rey the better part of 2.5 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lac Arsene

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Public occurrence data for Mauricie names northern pike, brook trout, walleye, yellow perch and white sucker. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. The near bank of Lac Arsene is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -14°C and July at about 18°C, the water has a wide range to work through. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late April. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Anyone fishing Lac Arsene regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. The nearest car park we can see is 950 m out, so expect a walk with your gear. There is a jetty 1 km off, worth knowing on a busy day. There are picnic tables 1 km away. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. For a change of water, Lac Arthur is 1.2 km distant. Check the current arrangement for Lac Arsene.