Lac Simard Fishing near La Tuque, Quebec

• Overview

  You will find Lac Simard in Mauricie, Quebec. The land about it is pine and birch. It covers about 4 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. On size it sits at the modest end of our Mauricie list. La Tuque sits 42 km from here and is the nearest stop. The nearest city of size is Trois-Rivières, 159 km away. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Simard

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Fish documented in Mauricie include northern pike, brook trout and walleye. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. On Lac Simard a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 17°C on average, January about -16°C. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around late April. Open water usually runs from late April until about mid November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. On Lac Simard that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Lac Vison, 0.5 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Ask locally about Lac Simard if anything is unclear.