Lac Io Fishing Guide, Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  Set in Mauricie, Quebec, this is Lac Io. It sits at 470 metres above sea level. The nearest place of any size is La Tuque, 58 km away. Beyond it, Laurentides at 60 km and Métabetchouan at 79 km. Near neighbours include: Lac Intime the better part of 0.6 km, Lac du Plan Perdu a shade over 1.1 km, Lac Celadon the better part of 1.4 km, Lac Light a shade over 1.5 km and Lac Beford the better part of 1.8 km. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac Io

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Across Mauricie, recorded fish include northern pike, brook trout, walleye, yellow perch and white sucker. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Lac Io the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 16°C on average, January about -16°C. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly early May. On average, early May opens the water and mid November closes it again. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. It holds true on Lac Io more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. 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. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. The nearest alternative is Lac Intime, 0.6 km out. The position on Lac Io is worth confirming on the day.