Lac des Forges Fishing Guide, Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac des Forges is set in Mauricie, Quebec. What surrounds it is mixed forest. This is a pocket water of some 3 hectares, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. It is a small entry by Mauricie standards. Trois-Rivières is the closest town at 9.9 km. It is 10 km to Trois-Rivières, the nearest city. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Forges

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Species logged across Mauricie include northern pike, brook trout, walleye and yellow perch. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Lac des Forges gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 20°C at the top of summer and -13°C at the bottom of winter. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near early December: that is the shape of an average year. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Plan any trip to Lac des Forges around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Parking within 570 m means no long carry with tackle. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A phone call first saves an afternoon. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Lac Ratelle at 6.7 km is the sensible second choice. Treat access at Lac des Forges as something to verify.