Fishing Lac Hibou in Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  Mauricie in Quebec is where Lac Hibou sits. The bank is 518 metres above sea level. The water measures roughly 4 hectares, so nothing here is far from anything else. Most waters listed here for Mauricie are larger. Leblanc is the closest town at 26 km. For a city, Saguenay is 223 km off. Water in the same corner: Lac Jean out at 0.6 km, Lac Lisey just 0.7 km, Lac George out at 1.7 km, Lac Kiki just 2.1 km and Lac Head out at 2.1 km. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lac Hibou

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Species logged across Mauricie include northern pike, brook trout and walleye. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Work Lac Hibou in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 16°C, with January the cold end at about -17°C. Winter runs most of the calendar, and everything worth doing happens in the gap. Ice is part of the season here, ending near early May. Ice clears near early May and comes back about mid November in a typical year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. It holds true on Lac Hibou more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. 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. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. For a change of water, Lac Jean is 0.6 km distant. Where Lac Hibou is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.