Lac Bidou Fishing in Lanaudière, Quebec

• Overview

  Look for Lac Bidou in Lanaudière, Quebec. Beyond the shoreline you have rolling bush. This is a pocket water of some 3 hectares, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. It is a small entry by Lanaudière standards. Mandeville lies 17 km from the water. For a city, Trois-Rivières is 78 km off. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac Bidou

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Lanaudière records list pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and rock bass among the fish reported. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. The shape of Lac Bidou rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 18°C and January near -14°C on the long-run figures. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. Open water usually runs from late April until about late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. On Lac Bidou the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Failing this one, try Petit lac Bidou, 0.4 km away. Where Lac Bidou is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.