Lac des Cenelles in Mauricie: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac des Cenelles falls in Mauricie, part of Quebec. Height above sea level is 344 metres. Surface area runs to about 4 hectares — small enough to read in one session. Most waters listed here for Mauricie are larger. Head to Laurentides, 25 km away, for anything you forgot. Then La Tuque, 26 km, and Sainte-Thècle, 54 km. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Cenelles

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Across Mauricie, recorded fish include northern pike, brook trout, walleye and yellow perch. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Read Lac des Cenelles for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 17°C and January reads -16°C. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around late April. Climate figures give an open season running late April to late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. On Lac des Cenelles that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Lac Calve, 0.6 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm before you fish Lac des Cenelles.