Lac aux Merles Fishing near Saint-Ubalde, Quebec

• Overview

  Look for Lac aux Merles in Capitale-Nationale, Quebec. It lies 239 metres above sea level. Around 14 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. Shoreline comes to about 2.5 km, small enough to learn in a day. The closest town, Saint-Ubalde, is 9.8 km distant. It is 58 km to Trois-Rivières, the nearest city. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lac aux Merles

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Capitale-Nationale records list lake sturgeon, Atlantic sturgeon and longnose sucker among the fish reported. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Fish Lac aux Merles to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 18°C for July and -14°C for January. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about late April until roughly late November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Lac aux Merles runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. For walleye, a jig and minnow near the bottom is the standard; evenings beat middays. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Should this one be busy, Lac du Sault is 0.9 km off. None of that is settled for Lac aux Merles in what we hold.