Lac Noir Fishing near Métabetchouan, Quebec

• Overview

  The Mauricie end of Quebec holds Lac Noir. The water sits 360 metres up. The water covers some 14 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. About 1.8 km of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. The closest town, Métabetchouan, is 58 km away. It is 115 km to Saguenay, the nearest city. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lac Noir

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Records held for Mauricie cover northern pike, brook trout, walleye, yellow perch and white sucker. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. The near bank of Lac Noir is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 17°C; by January the average is down near -16°C. This is a two-season water: locked, then wide open. After early May the shallows warm and the fish move up. The season between ice runs from about early May to mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. At Lac Noir the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is recorded parking some 350 m off. Overnight stays are possible 240 m away. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Lac du Nord, 1 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm access to Lac Noir locally before you travel.