Fishing at Lac des Dix Milles, Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac des Dix Milles is listed under Mauricie, Quebec. It lies 425 metres above sea level. Surface area runs to some 16.72 sq km, so a boat and a plan are both worth having. The perimeter is close to 107 km, and wind can be flat in one arm and rough in the next. On our Mauricie list it sits near the top for size. Some 53 km away sits Leblanc, the nearest settlement. Weymontachie is 77 km away, with Manawan at 82 km. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Dix Milles

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Public occurrence data for Mauricie names northern pike, brook trout, walleye, yellow perch and white sucker. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Lac des Dix Milles gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 16°C and January about -17°C. The season is measured in weeks rather than months. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from early May. Averages place the thaw at early May and the freeze at mid November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Lac des Dix Milles runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Lac Victor, 1.9 km away, makes the obvious fallback. For Lac des Dix Milles in particular, ask before you travel.