Fishing at Lac des Hermines, Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac des Hermines lies within the bounds of Mauricie, Quebec. This is spruce and muskeg ground. Small at around 7 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Some 88 km away sits Chapais, the nearest settlement. The nearest city of size is Saguenay, 245 km away. Others close at hand: Lac Ciez 1 km off, Lac Oriol a shade over 1.8 km, Lac Salomon 2.3 km off, Lac Querry a shade over 2.3 km and Lac Cabano 2.3 km off. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Hermines

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Records held for Mauricie cover northern pike, brook trout, walleye and yellow perch. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Lac des Hermines gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -19°C to 16°C. This far north the hard season runs and runs. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Open water usually runs from early May until about mid November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. On Lac des Hermines that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Lac Ciez at 1 km is the sensible second choice. Nothing here settles the position at Lac des Hermines for certain.