Fishing Lac Hard Luck in Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac Hard Luck belongs to Mauricie. The setting is mixed forest. At roughly 6 hectares, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. The nearest town is La Tuque, 16 km away. Laurentides is 38 km and Sainte-Thècle 67 km. What else is close: Lac Yvette sits 1 km out, Lac Lockhart roughly 1.3 km, Lac Boucher sits 1.5 km out, Lac de la Buse roughly 1.7 km and Lac de la Hache sits 1.8 km out. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac Hard Luck

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Fish documented in Mauricie include northern pike, brook trout, walleye and yellow perch. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. At Lac Hard Luck the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 17°C in July and bottom out at -16°C in January. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. The lid usually goes in early May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Open water usually runs from early May until about mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Lac Hard Luck.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Lac Yvette, 1 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Rules at Lac Hard Luck are worth checking on the day.