Petit lac Clair Fishing near Saint-Michel-des-Saints, Quebec

• Overview

  Within Mauricie, Quebec, you have Petit lac Clair. It lies 436 metres above sea level. At about 68 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. With about 4.2 km of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Size puts it in the front rank of our Mauricie list. Start from Saint-Michel-des-Saints, 60 km down the road. The nearest city of size is Trois-Rivières, 120 km away. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Petit lac Clair

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for Mauricie cover northern pike, brook trout and walleye. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. At Petit lac Clair light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -16°C and July at about 17°C, the water has a wide range to work through. The season is measured in weeks rather than months. Look for the thaw near early May; the fishing lifts straight after. Ice clears near early May and comes back about mid November in a typical year. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Plan around that when you fish Petit lac Clair.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. The nearest alternative is Lac a la Vache, 1.1 km out. Confirm access to Petit lac Clair locally before you travel.