Fishing at Lac Polette, Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Polette is set in Mauricie, Quebec. The ground round it is rolling bush. At 2.43 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. Some 12 km of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. On our Mauricie list it sits near the top for size. Nearest place of any size is La Tuque, 37 km away. Beyond it, Sainte-Thècle at 52 km and Laurentides at 54 km. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lac Polette

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. 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. Reported across Mauricie: northern pike, brook trout, walleye and yellow perch. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Take Lac Polette a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 18°C; the cold one sits at -15°C. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Once it clears, about late April, the fishing comes on quickly. The season between ice runs from about late April to late November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Lac Polette runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Lac Duck sits 1 km off and takes the overflow. The position on Lac Polette is worth confirming on the day.