Lac de la Fouine Fishing in Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  Set in Mauricie, Quebec, this is Lac de la Fouine. The bank is 423 metres above sea level. It covers about 5 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Most waters listed here for Mauricie are larger. The nearest place of any size is Mandeville, 28 km away. Beyond it, Saint-Élie-de-Caxton at 29 km and Saint-Gabriel at 35 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac de la Fouine

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Survey and observation records for Mauricie include northern pike, brook trout, walleye, yellow perch and white sucker. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. The shape of Lac de la Fouine decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 18°C, while January sits near -14°C. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Winter locks it down, and late April brings it back. Average temperatures cross freezing around late April in spring and again near late November in autumn. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Lac de la Fouine runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try Lac du Raton Laveur, 1.4 km away. Where Lac de la Fouine is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.