Lac Fontaine in Mauricie: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  This water sits in Mauricie, Quebec. The surroundings are taiga. At about 28 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. With about 4.6 km of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Compared with other Quebec water on our list, it sits high. Leblanc at 52 km is the nearest place to stop. Weymontachie is 53 km and Saint-Félicien 94 km. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lac Fontaine

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Mauricie records list northern pike, brook trout, walleye, yellow perch and white sucker among the fish reported. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Lac Fontaine gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -18°C in January to roughly 16°C in July. This is a two-season water: locked, then wide open. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early May. Break-up sits around early May on average, with the water closing again about mid November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. It holds true on Lac Fontaine more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Lac Coucou at 1.4 km is the sensible second choice. For Lac Fontaine in particular, ask before you travel.