Lac du Castor Fishing near Mandeville, Quebec

• Overview

  Look for Lac du Castor in Lanaudière, Quebec. The surface lies 504 metres up. Surface area runs to about 6 hectares — small enough to read in one session. Nearest place of any size is Saint-Michel-des-Saints, 18 km away. Trois-Rivières is the closest city, 94 km away. Others close at hand: Lac Alonce at 0.9 km, Lac du Brochet about 1.8 km, Lac Mignon at 2 km, Lac Canot d'Ecorce about 2.2 km and Lac au Foin at 2.5 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Castor

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. 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. Lanaudière records list pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and rock bass among the fish reported. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. At Lac du Castor the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -15°C in January up to 17°C in July. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The season between ice runs from about late April to late November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. The season on Lac du Castor follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. 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. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Lac Alonce, 0.9 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm before you fish Lac du Castor.