Fishing at Lac des Femmes, Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac des Femmes belongs to Mauricie. It sits in taiga. Surface area runs to about 2 hectares — small enough to read in one session. On size it sits at the modest end of our Mauricie list. The nearest place of any size is La Tuque, 50 km away. Laurentides lies 70 km off, Métabetchouan another 71 km. Also worth knowing: Lac Mariette 0.4 km off, Lac Racine 0.8 km away, Lac Secret 0.9 km off, Lac Gaby 1.1 km away and Lac Moisan 1.3 km off. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Femmes

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Records held for Mauricie cover northern pike, brook trout, walleye and yellow perch. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Lac des Femmes fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 17°C in July and bottoms out near -16°C in January. Cold dominates the year and the fishing works around it. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early May. Break-up sits around early May on average, with the water closing again about mid November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Lac des Femmes fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. 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. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try Lac Mariette, 0.4 km away. Confirm before you fish Lac des Femmes.