Lac Marcel in Lanaudière: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac Marcel sits within Lanaudière in Quebec. The country round it is mixed forest from end to end. You can fish the entire water from one spot if you pick it well. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Lanaudière. Chertsey sits 1.8 km from here and is the nearest stop. Further out sit Rawdon (14 km) and Sainte-Marguerite-du-Lac-Masson (15 km). The boundary is near enough that local access rules are worth double-checking.

• Where to Fish on Lac Marcel

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Reported across Lanaudière: pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, rock bass and brook trout. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Fish Lac Marcel where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 18°C on average, January about -13°C. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Open water usually runs from late April until about late November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Time your trip to Lac Marcel by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. A carry of 1.1 km from the nearest parking is the price of fishing here. A toilet block sits 1.4 km away. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Lac des Ukrainiens sits 0.4 km off and takes the overflow. Check the position on Lac Marcel before loading the car.