Lac Hugo in Mauricie: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac Hugo is a Mauricie water, Quebec side. Height above sea level is 447 metres. At roughly 4 hectares, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. It is a small entry by Mauricie standards. You are 44 km from Weymontachie. Beyond it, Leblanc at 77 km and Saint-Félicien at 85 km. Near neighbours include: Lac Suzie at 0.5 km, Lac Hornet a touch under 1.1 km, Lac Petit at 1.6 km, Lac Camel a touch under 2.1 km and Lac Houle at 2.4 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lac Hugo

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. County-wide records name northern pike, brook trout, walleye, yellow perch and white sucker. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. On Lac Hugo the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• 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-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The water is typically free of ice between early May and mid November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. It holds true on Lac Hugo more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Should this one be busy, Lac Suzie is 0.5 km off. None of that is settled for Lac Hugo in what we hold.