Fishing at Lac Tabac, Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  Quebec holds Lac Tabac, in Mauricie. The water sits 194 metres up. It covers about 6 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Ground here is low by Quebec standards. 17 km away sits Saint-Ubalde, the nearest town. After that come Sainte-Thècle at 24 km and Saint-Marc-des-Carrières at 27 km. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Tabac

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Open biodiversity records for Mauricie list northern pike, brook trout and walleye. The county list is broader than any single water. The shape of Lac Tabac rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -14°C in January up to 18°C in July. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Ice is part of the season here, ending near late April. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about late November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Lac Tabac runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Should this one be busy, Lac a la Truite is 0.2 km off. Check the current arrangement for Lac Tabac.