Fishing at Lac Gaspard, Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  Mauricie, Quebec, is where Lac Gaspard sits. Height above sea level is 409 metres. Surface area runs to about 7 hectares — small enough to read in one session. Leblanc lies 66 km from the water. The big place round here is Trois-Rivières, 301 km distant. Others close at hand: Lac Gasparo about 0.8 km, Lac Kaotoskonakamak (3.9 km), Lac Bravo about 7.9 km, Lac Dareche (11 km) and Lac Augustine about 12 km. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lac Gaspard

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Mauricie records list northern pike, brook trout, walleye, yellow perch and white sucker among the fish reported. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Read Lac Gaspard before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 17°C; by January the average is down near -18°C. Everything is compressed into the middle of the year. Break-up comes around early May, and the run that follows is short and strong. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. On Lac Gaspard the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Lac Gasparo, 0.8 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Signs at Lac Gaspard carry more weight than any list.