Lac Rita Fishing near Weymontachie, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Rita is one of the Mauricie waters in Quebec. The surroundings are boreal forest. Roughly 1.83 sq km of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. With 12 km or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Few waters listed in Mauricie are bigger. For supplies, Weymontachie is 45 km out. After that come Leblanc at 71 km and Saint-Félicien at 85 km. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lac Rita

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. 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 what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Read Lac Rita for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -18°C in January to roughly 16°C in July. Cold dominates the year and the fishing works around it. Break-up comes around early May, and the run that follows is short and strong. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about mid November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Anyone fishing Lac Rita regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Lac Clamand at 2.5 km is the sensible second choice. Nothing on Lac Rita should be assumed from this page alone.