Lac Desroches near Mandeville: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac Desroches falls inside Lanaudière. The ground round it is pine and birch. It covers about 3 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Lanaudière. Mandeville is the closest town at 17 km. Trois-Rivières sits 78 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Lac Desroches

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Reported across Lanaudière: pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and rock bass. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Take Lac Desroches a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 18°C, with January the cold end at about -14°C. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly late November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Plan around that when you fish Lac Desroches.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. For a change of water, Petit lac des Cedres is 0.3 km distant. Treat access at Lac Desroches as something to verify.