Lac Patterson in Mauricie: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Mauricie entry here is Lac Patterson, in Quebec. The setting is spruce and muskeg. It measures some 1.62 sq km, and wind has room to build across it. The perimeter runs near 13 km, so plan the walk before you start. On our Mauricie list it sits near the top for size. Leblanc lies 68 km from the water. Weymontachie lies 110 km off, Chapais another 115 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lac Patterson

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Open biodiversity records for Mauricie list northern pike, brook trout, walleye, yellow perch and white sucker. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. On Lac Patterson that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 16°C at the top of summer and -18°C at the bottom of winter. The year here is short and sharp: a long lid, then a burst of open water. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from early May. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. At Lac Patterson the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. For a change of water, Lac Musicat is 0.9 km distant. For Lac Patterson in particular, ask before you travel.