Fishing at Lac Jean-Marie, Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  Quebec holds Lac Jean-Marie, in Mauricie. The ground around here is taiga. This is a pocket water of some 4 hectares, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Most waters listed here for Mauricie are larger. Head to Métabetchouan, 56 km away, for anything you forgot. Beyond it, Desbiens at 63 km and Chambord at 63 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lac Jean-Marie

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Reported across Mauricie: 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 Jean-Marie the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 17°C at the top of summer and -16°C at the bottom of winter. 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. Expect the water usable from around early May until roughly mid November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. The season on Lac Jean-Marie rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Zec Kiskissink runs up to the bank here, which usually means extra restrictions. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. For a change of water, Lac Diamant is 1.3 km distant. Check the position on Lac Jean-Marie before loading the car.