Lac Maurice in Laurentides: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac Maurice lies in Laurentides, Quebec. The water sits 451 metres up. Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts at 4 km is the nearest place to stop. Saint-Louis-de-Terrebonne sits 58 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Water in the same corner: Lac Daoust near enough 0.9 km, Lac des Sables at 3 km, Lac Merisier near enough 3.3 km, Lac Manitou at 3.3 km and Lac Ephrem near enough 3.5 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lac Maurice

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Records held for Laurentides cover pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, brook trout and rock bass. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Lac Maurice the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -14°C in January to roughly 18°C in July. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Winter locks it down, and late April brings it back. Open water usually runs from late April until about late November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Lac Maurice runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. For a change of water, Lac Daoust is 0.9 km distant. Where Lac Maurice is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.