Lac Mario Fishing near Saint-Michel-des-Saints, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Mario sits within Lanaudière in Quebec. The bank gives way to rolling bush. Small at around 7 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. The town to know is Saint-Michel-des-Saints, 24 km out. The big place round here is Saint-Louis-de-Terrebonne, 89 km distant. Other water within reach: Petit lac de la Roche after 0.5 km, Petit lac Bois Franc at 1.1 km, Lac Noir after 1.3 km, Lac au Castor at 1.5 km and Lac Paul after 1.6 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lac Mario

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Fish documented in Lanaudière include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass and yellow perch. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Read Lac Mario for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -15°C to 17°C. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early May. Average temperatures cross freezing around early May in spring and again near late November in autumn. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. It holds true on Lac Mario more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Failing this one, try Petit lac de la Roche, 0.5 km away. The position on Lac Mario is worth confirming on the day.