Lac Mitoyen in Lanaudière: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac Mitoyen stands in Lanaudière, Quebec. It stands 524 metres above sea level. Small at around 6 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Compared with other Quebec water on our list, it sits high. The nearest town is Manawan, 30 km away. Saint-Michel-des-Saints follows at 57 km, then Rivière-Rouge at 67 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lac Mitoyen

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Across Lanaudière, recorded fish include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, rock bass and brook trout. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Take Lac Mitoyen a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 17°C at the top of summer and -16°C at the bottom of winter. Ice holds for a long stretch, so the open weeks matter more here than further south. After early May the shallows warm and the fish move up. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. The season on Lac Mitoyen rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Should this one be busy, Lac Journet is 0.9 km off. Where Lac Mitoyen is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.