Lac du Vieux Fishing near Saint-Élie-de-Caxton, Quebec

• Overview

  This water sits in Mauricie, Quebec. Height above sea level is 326 metres. It runs to roughly 37 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The edge runs 4.8 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. On our Mauricie list it sits near the top for size. The town to know is Saint-Élie-de-Caxton, 22 km out. The big place round here is Trois-Rivières, 56 km distant. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Vieux

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Survey and observation records for Mauricie include northern pike, brook trout, walleye and yellow perch. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. At Lac du Vieux light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 18°C and January near -14°C. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. Open water usually runs from late April until about late November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Plan any trip to Lac du Vieux around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Lac Emeraude at 1.4 km is the sensible second choice. Check the current arrangement for Lac du Vieux.