Lac Johnny in Mauricie: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Out in Mauricie, Quebec, sits Lac Johnny. The bank is 491 metres above sea level. Small at around 5 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. It is a small entry by Mauricie standards. The nearest place of any size is Weymontachie, 13 km away. For a city, Saguenay is 201 km off. Also within reach: Lac Ernie within 2.2 km, Lac Bert after 2.2 km, Lac Gloria within 2.5 km, Lac Lorenzo after 3.4 km and Lac Pat within 3.6 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lac Johnny

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Public occurrence data for Mauricie names northern pike, brook trout, walleye and yellow perch. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Lac Johnny responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -17°C in January up to 16°C in July. This is a two-season water: locked, then wide open. Winter locks it down, and early May brings it back. 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. Lac Johnny runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Lac Ernie, 2.2 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing here settles the position at Lac Johnny for certain.