Fishing Petit lac du Couteau in Mauricie, Quebec

• Overview

  Set in Mauricie, Quebec, this is Petit lac du Couteau. The ground round it is mixed forest. Small at around 4 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Our Mauricie list holds plenty of bigger water. You are 44 km from Shawinigan. For a city, Trois-Rivières is 73 km off. Other water nearby: Grand lac du Couteau a shade over 0.7 km, Lac Taki at 1.8 km, Lac de l'Indien a shade over 1.9 km, Lac de l'Elan at 2 km and Lac Clara a shade over 2.2 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Petit lac du Couteau

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Across Mauricie, recorded fish include northern pike, brook trout, walleye, yellow perch and white sucker. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The near bank of Petit lac du Couteau is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 18°C, with January the cold end at about -15°C. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Average temperatures cross freezing around late April in spring and again near late November in autumn. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. That shapes the year on Petit lac du Couteau.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. 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. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. For a change of water, Grand lac du Couteau is 0.7 km distant. Confirm before you fish Petit lac du Couteau.