Lac de l'Etourneau, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Set in Mauricie, Lac de l'Etourneau is a Quebec water. It stands 496 metres above sea level. The town to know is Manawan, 59 km out. Beyond it, Saint-Michel-des-Saints at 63 km and La Tuque at 67 km. Alternatives close at hand: Lac du Sansonnet 0.6 km, Lac du Pic the better part of 1.3 km, Lac Heart 1.9 km, Lac Mercure the better part of 1.9 km and Lac en Croix 2.5 km. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lac de l'Etourneau

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Across Mauricie, recorded fish include northern pike, brook trout and walleye. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Lac de l'Etourneau fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 17°C, while January sits near -16°C. The window is narrow, and fish feed hard while it lasts. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early May. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about mid November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Lac de l'Etourneau.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. If the gate is shut, Lac du Sansonnet at 0.6 km is the nearest alternative. None of that is settled for Lac de l'Etourneau in what we hold.