Lac Boily in Mauricie: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Mauricie end of Quebec holds Lac Boily. What surrounds it is boreal forest. Surface area runs to about 9 hectares — small enough to read in one session. The edge runs 2.7 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. The closest town, La Tuque, is 58 km distant. Saguenay sits 111 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac Boily

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Across Mauricie, recorded fish include northern pike, brook trout, walleye and yellow perch. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Anyone new to Lac Boily should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 17°C for July and -16°C for January. The ice season is long here and the open one short. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. In an average year the thaw lands around early May and the freeze near mid November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. The season on Lac Boily follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. The nearest alternative is Lac du Charroyage, 1.5 km out. None of that is settled for Lac Boily in what we hold.