Lac la Pipe, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Set in Mauricie, Lac la Pipe is a Quebec water. Height above sea level is 317 metres. Surface area is around 49 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. The margin runs to about 6.0 km in total. Size puts it in the front rank of our Mauricie list. The town to know is Hérouxville, 36 km out. Trois-Rivières is the closest city, 66 km away. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Lac la Pipe

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Survey and observation records for Mauricie include northern pike, brook trout, walleye, yellow perch and white sucker. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Lac la Pipe light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -14°C to 18°C. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Once it clears, about late April, the fishing comes on quickly. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about late November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. That is the shape of the year on Lac la Pipe.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. You can camp 470 m off, which suits an early start. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Lac Francina, 2 km away, makes the obvious fallback. For Lac la Pipe, the notice at the access point is the final word.