Lac du Portage in Mauricie: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac du Portage is one of the Mauricie waters in Quebec. The bank is 250 metres above sea level. Around 23 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. The full circuit measures close to 2.8 km on foot. Saint-Tite lies 35 km from the water. Trois-Rivières is the closest city, 68 km away. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Portage

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. County-wide records name northern pike, brook trout and walleye. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. The near bank of Lac du Portage is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 18°C and January reads -14°C. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about late November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Plan around that when you fish Lac du Portage.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. You can camp 1.2 km off, which suits an early start. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. If the gate is shut, Petit lac des Cinq at 2.3 km is the nearest alternative. None of that is settled for Lac du Portage in what we hold.