Lac du Canard Fishing near Métabetchouan, Quebec

• Overview

  You will find Lac du Canard in Mauricie, Quebec. What surrounds it is taiga. At 2 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Most waters listed here for Mauricie are larger. The closest town, La Tuque, is 60 km away. Further out sit Métabetchouan (66 km) and Laurentides (72 km). The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Canard

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Across Mauricie, recorded fish include northern pike, brook trout, walleye, yellow perch and white sucker. The county list is broader than any single water. On Lac du Canard the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 17°C, while January sits near -16°C. A short, intense season is the rule this far north. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. Ice clears near early May and comes back about mid November in a typical year. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. The season on Lac du Canard rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. A boat ramp sits 1.1 km away, so trailered boats can get on. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Lac Miroir at 0.9 km is the sensible second choice. Rules at Lac du Canard are worth checking on the day.