Fishing at Lac Barrette, Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Barrette is one of the Mauricie listings for Quebec. Land around it is boreal forest. At 5 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. You are 63 km from Leblanc. It is 227 km to Trois-Rivières, the nearest city. Also on the doorstep: Lac de la Tour at 2.8 km, Lac Savard within 3 km, Lac Honore at 3.2 km, Lac Rod within 3.7 km and Lac Cecile at 3.7 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lac Barrette

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. 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. Across Mauricie, recorded fish include northern pike, brook trout, walleye, yellow perch and white sucker. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Read Lac Barrette for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 16°C and January at -17°C. The freeze holds for the better part of the year. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around early May. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early May and starts locking again about mid November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. It holds true on Lac Barrette more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. There is camping recorded roughly 1.4 km off. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Lac de la Tour, 2.8 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Rules at Lac Barrette are worth checking on the day.