Lac Rolland in Mauricie: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac Rolland lies in Mauricie, Quebec. It sits at 434 metres above sea level. At 9 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Supplies mean a trip to Weymontachie, 30 km off. The nearest city of size is Trois-Rivières, 172 km away. Others close at hand: Lac Mercier 0.9 km off, Lac Fish near enough 1.3 km, Lac Duler 1.4 km off, Lac Selby near enough 2.4 km and Lac Taft 2.4 km off. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lac Rolland

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Records held for Mauricie cover northern pike, brook trout and walleye. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Lac Rolland the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 16°C; the cold one sits at -16°C. Ice holds for a long stretch, so the open weeks matter more here than further south. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Plan around that when you fish Lac Rolland.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Lac Mercier sits 0.9 km off and takes the overflow. Signs at Lac Rolland carry more weight than any list.