Lac de l'Epinette Fishing near Saint-Élie-de-Caxton, Quebec

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac de l'Epinette falls inside Mauricie. Everything around it is rolling bush. Saint-Élie-de-Caxton sits 52 km from here and is the nearest stop. Trois-Rivières sits 81 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Also within reach: 1.4 km away is Lac Montagne, Lac du Canoe at 1.6 km, 1.7 km away is Lac Collin, Lac de la Buse at 1.7 km and 1.8 km away is Lac Pepin. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lac de l'Epinette

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Records held for Mauricie cover northern pike, brook trout, walleye, yellow perch and white sucker. The county list is broader than any single water. Fish Lac de l'Epinette where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 18°C in July and bottoms out near -15°C in January. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around late April. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about late November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. On Lac de l'Epinette that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. The nearest alternative is Lac Montagne, 1.4 km out. What applies at Lac de l'Epinette may have changed since it was mapped.