Trou a Gilles in Mauricie: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  In Quebec, Trou a Gilles falls inside Mauricie. The bank gives way to northern bush. The closest town, Manawan, is 74 km away. Saint-Louis-de-Terrebonne sits 236 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Others within reach: Lac Paterson within 1.1 km, Lac de l'Avion the better part of 1.3 km, Lac de la Gaspesienne within 1.8 km, Lac en Pointe de Fleche the better part of 2.5 km and Lac Brochet within 3.6 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Trou a Gilles

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Reported across Mauricie: northern pike, brook trout, walleye and yellow perch. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Trou a Gilles repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 17°C at the top of summer and -17°C at the bottom of winter. This is a two-season water: locked, then wide open. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly early May. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about mid November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Plan around that when you fish Trou a Gilles.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Failing this one, try Lac Paterson, 1.1 km away. For Trou a Gilles, the notice at the access point is the final word.