Lac Carat in Mauricie: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac Carat is a Mauricie water, in Quebec. It sits at 547 metres above sea level. At roughly 6 hectares, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. It is high ground by Quebec standards. Head to Weymontachie, 53 km away, for anything you forgot. For a city, Saguenay is 161 km off. Also on the doorstep: Lac Rubis 1 km, Lac du Martyre at 1.5 km, Lac Zircon 1.7 km, Lac Po at 2.2 km and Lac Perle 2.2 km. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Lac Carat

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Open biodiversity records for Mauricie list northern pike, brook trout, walleye and yellow perch. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Read Lac Carat for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 16°C, with January the cold end at about -18°C. The window is narrow, and fish feed hard while it lasts. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The water is typically free of ice between early May and mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. It holds true on Lac Carat more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Lac Rubis at 1 km is the sensible second choice. What applies at Lac Carat may have changed since it was mapped.