Fishing at Lac de la Bine, Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  Set in Mauricie, Quebec, this is Lac de la Bine. The setting is northern bush. The whole thing is a single swim; walk it in a minute. On size it sits at the modest end of our Mauricie list. Head to La Tuque, 56 km away, for anything you forgot. Saguenay is the closest city, 116 km away. The nearest boundary is a fair way off. The country round the bank is quiet, with little traffic on the road in.

• Where to Fish on Lac de la Bine

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Fish documented in Mauricie include northern pike, brook trout, walleye, yellow perch and white sucker. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Lac de la Bine gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 17°C; by January the average is down near -16°C. The ice season is long here and the open one short. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early May. Break-up sits around early May on average, with the water closing again about mid November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. At Lac de la Bine the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Lac Rolland at 0.5 km is the sensible second choice. None of that is settled for Lac de la Bine in what we hold.