Fishing at Lac Boum, Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac Boum belongs to Mauricie. What surrounds it is northern bush. At 4 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. On size it sits at the modest end of our Mauricie list. Some 40 km away sits Weymontachie, the nearest settlement. Leblanc follows at 73 km, then Saint-Félicien at 89 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lac Boum

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Reported across Mauricie: northern pike, brook trout and walleye. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. At Lac Boum light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 16°C; by January the average is down near -17°C. The ice season is long here and the open one short. After early May the shallows warm and the fish move up. Averages place the thaw at early May and the freeze at mid November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Lac Boum runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Lac Ma Mie at 0.4 km is the sensible second choice. Where Lac Boum is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.