Fishing at Lac des Rats, Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  The Mauricie end of Quebec holds Lac des Rats. The land about it is boreal forest. It covers about 9 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Nearest place of any size is Leblanc, 79 km away. After that come Chapais at 97 km and Chibougamau at 104 km. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Rats

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Across Mauricie, recorded fish include northern pike, brook trout, walleye, yellow perch and white sucker. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. The near bank of Lac des Rats is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 16°C, while January sits near -18°C. The freeze holds for the better part of the year. The lid usually goes in early May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. The water is typically free of ice between early May and mid November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. At Lac des Rats the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Lac Bornais sits 0.6 km off and takes the overflow. What applies at Lac des Rats may have changed since it was mapped.