Premier Lac Fishing near Leblanc, Quebec

• Overview

  Premier Lac sits within Mauricie in Quebec. It sits in boreal forest country. At about 71 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. At about 6.8 km of edge, most people work one arm at a time. Size puts it in the front rank of our Mauricie list. For a base, Leblanc sits 47 km out. Saguenay is the closest city, 234 km away. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Premier Lac

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Mauricie records list northern pike, brook trout and walleye among the fish reported. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Premier Lac light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 16°C; the cold one sits at -18°C. Open water arrives late and leaves early, which concentrates the fishing. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early May. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Expect Premier Lac to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Lac du Castor Noir is 2.2 km off. Check the current arrangement for Premier Lac.