Fishing at Lac Foisy, Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  Out in Mauricie, Quebec, sits Lac Foisy. The surface lies 313 metres up. At 5 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. For supplies, Laurentides is 22 km out. The big place round here is Trois-Rivières, 76 km distant. Water in the same corner: Lac Ritcher within 1.1 km, Lac du Plongeon at 1.1 km, Lac Narcisse within 1.3 km, Lac a la Cache at 1.4 km and Lac Bigue within 1.4 km. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lac Foisy

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. County-wide records name northern pike, brook trout and walleye. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. On Lac Foisy the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 18°C and January near -15°C. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Once it clears, about late April, the fishing comes on quickly. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. It holds true on Lac Foisy more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Lac Ritcher, 1.1 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Signs at Lac Foisy carry more weight than any list.