Lac Aurele in Capitale-Nationale: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Out in Capitale-Nationale, Quebec, sits Lac Aurele. The setting is rolling bush on every side. Laurentides at 1.7 km is the nearest place to stop. Sainte-Foy sits 84 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Alternatives close at hand: Lac Lemieux after 1 km, Lac des Betulas the better part of 1.4 km, Lac Lievain after 2.2 km, Lac Dailey the better part of 2.5 km and Lac des Origans after 2.7 km. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Aurele

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Fish documented in Capitale-Nationale include lake sturgeon, Atlantic sturgeon, longnose sucker, sauger and channel catfish. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Lac Aurele gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -15°C and July at about 18°C, the water has a wide range to work through. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. Averages place the thaw at late April and the freeze at late November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. The season on Lac Aurele follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Mapping shows a jetty some 910 m off. For walleye, a jig and minnow near the bottom is the standard; evenings beat middays. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Lac Lemieux is 1 km off. Signs at Lac Aurele carry more weight than any list.