Lac Catherine, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac Catherine falls inside Mauricie. The ground round it is spruce and muskeg. This is sizeable water at about 1.27 sq km, and a boat opens up most of it. At about 16 km of edge, most people work one arm at a time. Few waters listed in Mauricie are bigger. The nearest town is La Tuque, 49 km away. The big place round here is Saguenay, 120 km distant. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Catherine

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Public occurrence data for Mauricie names northern pike, brook trout, walleye, yellow perch and white sucker. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Lac Catherine light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 17°C in July and bottoms out near -16°C in January. A short, intense season is the rule this far north. Ice is part of the season here, ending near early May. The water is typically free of ice between early May and mid November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Lac Catherine fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Should this one be busy, Lac Limite is 0.7 km off. Treat Lac Catherine as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.