Fishing at Lac Claire, Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Claire is one of the Mauricie waters in Quebec. Beyond the shoreline you have taiga. The water covers some 42 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The bank runs about 3.5 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. On our Mauricie list it sits near the top for size. Head to Leblanc, 75 km away, for anything you forgot. Trois-Rivières sits 273 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lac Claire

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Mauricie cover 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. Treat Lac Claire as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -17°C to 16°C. The year here is short and sharp: a long lid, then a burst of open water. Break-up comes around early May, and the run that follows is short and strong. Climate figures give an open season running early May to mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. At Lac Claire the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Failing this one, try Lac Gabs, 4.2 km away. Check the current arrangement for Lac Claire.