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

• Overview

  Lac du Principal lies in Mauricie, in Quebec. It stands 411 metres above sea level. The water covers around 7.76 sq km, which puts most of it out of reach from the bank. At about 38 km of edge, most people fish a single area and learn it well. It is among the larger waters listed here for Mauricie. Supplies mean a trip to Leblanc, 66 km off. It is 261 km to Saguenay, the nearest city. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Principal

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. County-wide records name northern pike, brook trout and walleye. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Fish Lac du Principal to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -19°C in January and 16°C in July. Ice holds for a long stretch, so the open weeks matter more here than further south. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early May. Open water usually runs from early May until about mid November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Lac du Principal fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Lac Awtosiwranan sits 3.7 km off and takes the overflow. Nothing here settles the position at Lac du Principal for certain.