Fishing Lac Ida in Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Ida belongs to Mauricie, Quebec. Around the bank it is spruce and muskeg. The water covers some 38 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. A shoreline of some 3.8 km keeps the choices simple. Size puts it in the front rank of our Mauricie list. Supplies mean a trip to Manawan, 50 km off. Trois-Rivières is the closest city, 207 km away. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Lac Ida

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. County-wide records name northern pike, brook trout, walleye and yellow perch. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Work Lac Ida 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. Cold dominates the calendar on water this far north. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Plan around that when you fish Lac Ida.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. The nearest alternative is Lac Murray, 2.2 km out. Confirm access to Lac Ida locally before you travel.