Lac Marie in Mauricie: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac Marie is set in Mauricie, Quebec. The surroundings are pine and birch. Roughly 11 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The edge runs 3.2 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Some 20 km away sits Shawinigan, the nearest settlement. Hérouxville is 21 km away, with Saint-Tite at 25 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lac Marie

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Species logged across Mauricie include northern pike, brook trout, walleye, yellow perch and white sucker. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Lac Marie repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 18°C and January at -14°C. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. The water is typically free of ice between late April and late November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Lac Marie runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. A campsite lies 180 m away for anyone staying over. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Lac Fourchu sits 0.7 km off and takes the overflow. Check the position at Lac Marie before loading the car.