Lac Fonches Fishing Guide, Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac Fonches belongs to Mauricie. It stands 453 metres above sea level. It covers about 5 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It is a small entry by Mauricie standards. Leblanc is the closest town at 72 km. Chapais is 106 km and Chibougamau 112 km. Other water nearby: Lac du Savon at 1.2 km, Lac du Canso out at 1.2 km, Lac Marot at 1.9 km, Lac Ciral out at 2 km and Lac Orne at 2.3 km. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac Fonches

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Reported across Mauricie: northern pike, brook trout, walleye, yellow perch and white sucker. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. At Lac Fonches light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 16°C and January near -18°C. Water stays cold even at the height of the year. Once it clears, about early May, the fishing comes on quickly. Climate averages put the opening at about early May and the closing near mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Anyone fishing Lac Fonches regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. For a change of water, Lac du Savon is 1.2 km distant. Confirm before you fish Lac Fonches.