Lac Clelan, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  The Mauricie end of Quebec holds Lac Clelan. The country here is pine and birch. The water covers around 1.05 sq km, which puts most of it out of reach from the bank. The edge runs 4.9 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. It ranks high for size among our Mauricie listings. Saint-Michel-des-Saints lies 56 km from the water. La Tuque follows at 66 km, then Manawan at 69 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lac Clelan

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. County-wide records name northern pike, brook trout and walleye. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. The shape of Lac Clelan decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 17°C, while January sits near -16°C. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. The lid usually goes in early May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. In an average year the thaw lands around early May and the freeze near mid November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Lac Clelan runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Lac au Raton, 1.8 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Signs at Lac Clelan carry more weight than any list.