Lac Paul Fishing near Métabetchouan, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Paul lies in Mauricie, Quebec. It lies 308 metres above sea level. At roughly 2 hectares, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. Our Mauricie list holds plenty of bigger water. The town to know is La Tuque, 48 km out. For a city, Saguenay is 131 km off. Water in the same corner: Lac Dan (0.2 km), Lac Sec lies 0.7 km on, Lac Gilles (0.8 km), Lac Savane lies 1 km on and Lac Creux (1.2 km). Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac Paul

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Records held for Mauricie cover northern pike, brook trout, walleye, yellow perch and white sucker. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Lac Paul responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -16°C in January to roughly 17°C in July. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late April. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. That shapes the year on Lac Paul.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Lac Dan sits 0.2 km off and takes the overflow. For Lac Paul in particular, ask before you travel.