Lac Shawinigan Fishing in Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Shawinigan sits in Mauricie, out in Quebec. It sits in mixed forest country. At 3.19 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. Few waters listed in Mauricie are bigger. Supplies mean a trip to Saint-Élie-de-Caxton, 26 km off. The big place round here is Trois-Rivières, 59 km distant. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac Shawinigan

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Species logged across Mauricie include northern pike, brook trout, walleye, yellow perch and white sucker. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. On Lac Shawinigan the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 18°C in July and bottoms out near -15°C in January. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near late November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Lac Shawinigan runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. 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. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Failing this one, try Lac Henry, 1.5 km away. Ask locally about Lac Shawinigan if anything is unclear.