Lac Traverse in Mauricie: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac Traverse is a Mauricie water, in Quebec. The water sits 385 metres up. The water covers some 24 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Shoreline comes to about 3.8 km, small enough to learn in a day. The nearest place of any size is Saint-Michel-des-Saints, 46 km away. The big place round here is Trois-Rivières, 79 km distant. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lac Traverse

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Across Mauricie, recorded fish include northern pike, brook trout and walleye. The county list is broader than any single water. On Lac Traverse the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 17°C, the coldest about -15°C. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near late April. Open water usually runs from late April until about late November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Plan any trip to Lac Traverse around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Lac Pourpre is 0.3 km distant. For Lac Traverse, the notice at the access point is the final word.