Fishing at Lac Mercier, Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  Set in Mauricie, Lac Mercier is a Quebec water. It stands 425 metres above sea level. A pocket of water where every cast reaches cover. Our Mauricie list holds plenty of bigger water. Supplies mean a trip to Weymontachie, 29 km off. Trois-Rivières is the closest city, 173 km away. Water in the same corner: Lac Rolland at 0.9 km, Lac Fish at about 1.8 km, Lac Duler at 2.2 km, Lac Selby at about 2.3 km and Lac Taft at 2.7 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lac Mercier

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Across Mauricie, recorded fish include northern pike, brook trout and walleye. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. On Lac Mercier the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 16°C and January at -16°C. This far north the hard season runs and runs. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early May. Open water usually runs from early May until about mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Lac Mercier fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. 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 Rolland at 0.9 km is the sensible second choice. Check the current arrangement for Lac Mercier.