Lac Rivard Fishing in Lanaudière, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Rivard is a Lanaudière water, in Quebec. Around the bank it is spruce and muskeg. The water covers some 26 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. A shoreline of some 3.1 km keeps the choices simple. The town to know is Saint-Michel-des-Saints, 32 km out. The nearest city of size is Trois-Rivières, 109 km away. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Rivard

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Across Lanaudière, recorded fish include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass and yellow perch. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Read Lac Rivard for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -16°C and July at about 17°C, the water has a wide range to work through. Open water arrives late and leaves early, which concentrates the fishing. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early May. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. That is the shape of the year on Lac Rivard.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. For a change of water, Premier lac Besson is 1.1 km distant. Confirm access to Lac Rivard locally before you travel.