Lac Paugan Fishing Guide, Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  Set in Mauricie, Quebec, this is Lac Paugan. The setting is pine and birch. About 2 hectares of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. On size it sits at the modest end of our Mauricie list. Start from La Tuque, 44 km down the road. For a city, Trois-Rivières is 118 km off. More in the same country: Lac Pasqua 0.2 km away, Lac Odanak lies 0.5 km on, Lac Larrow 1.1 km away, Lac Wigwam lies 1.2 km on and Lac Pemisca 1.5 km away. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lac Paugan

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Fish documented in Mauricie include northern pike, brook trout and walleye. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. The near bank of Lac Paugan is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -16°C in January up to 17°C in July. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Ice is part of the season here, ending near early May. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. That is the shape of the year on Lac Paugan.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. If the gate is shut, Lac Pasqua at 0.2 km is the nearest alternative. Ask locally about Lac Paugan if anything is unclear.