Lac du Cavalier, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Quebec holds Lac du Cavalier, in Mauricie. The country round it is mixed forest from end to end. Around 28 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. Shoreline comes to about 2.5 km, small enough to learn in a day. Some 50 km away sits La Tuque, the nearest settlement. Saint-Michel-des-Saints lies 71 km off, Sainte-Thècle another 71 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Cavalier

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Public occurrence data for Mauricie names northern pike, brook trout, walleye and yellow perch. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The shape of Lac du Cavalier rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -16°C in January up to 17°C in July. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late April. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near late November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. The season on Lac du Cavalier rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Lac Travers is 2 km off. Check the position on Lac du Cavalier before loading the car.