Fishing at Petit lac Bonhomme, Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  Petit lac Bonhomme stands in Mauricie, Quebec. This is spruce and muskeg country. At about 14 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The closest town, La Tuque, is 53 km distant. Métabetchouan is 67 km away, with Chambord at 73 km. Water in the same corner: Lac Jean-Louis at 1 km, Lac Jeannette 1 km, Lac de l'Enclume at 1.2 km, Lac Bonhomme 1.4 km and Lac du Cap at 1.8 km. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Petit lac Bonhomme

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Across Mauricie, recorded fish include northern pike, brook trout, walleye and yellow perch. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Read Petit lac Bonhomme before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -16°C and July at about 17°C, the water has a wide range to work through. The fishing year opens late and shuts early. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Anyone fishing Petit lac Bonhomme regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Failing this one, try Lac Jean-Louis, 1 km away. Signs at Petit lac Bonhomme carry more weight than any list.