Lac Donald Fishing near Weymontachie, Quebec

• Overview

  Out in Mauricie, Quebec, sits Lac Donald. The surroundings are spruce and muskeg. This is a pocket water of some 9 hectares, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Weymontachie sits 52 km from the bank. The big place round here is Saguenay, 159 km distant. Within a short drive: Lac Sauve lies 1.1 km on, 1.6 km out stands Lac Cliff, Lac Cook lies 2 km on, 2.5 km out stands Lac Beaute and Lac Carmen lies 2.5 km on. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lac Donald

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Open biodiversity records for Mauricie list northern pike, brook trout, walleye, yellow perch and white sucker. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Work Lac Donald in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 16°C in July and bottoms out near -17°C in January. Winter runs most of the calendar, and everything worth doing happens in the gap. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. That shapes the year on Lac Donald.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Lac Sauve sits 1.1 km off and takes the overflow. For Lac Donald, the notice at the access point is the final word.