Recreational fishing

La Mauricie National Park offers a great recreational fishing experience. It's the ideal way for visitors to come into contact with the environment, while, at the same time, fully respecting the need to protect our natural resources. Since line fishing is the only harvesting activity allowed inside our park's boundaries, it is subject to various regulations designed to maintain the integrity of aquatic ecosystems.

Fees and schedule  RECREATIONAL FISHING SEASON IS OVER

Fees

Start of 2023 fishing season:
From Saturday, May 27 to Monday, September 4.
Smallmouth bass : June 24 to September 4.

Registration period for the draw: April 3 at 8 am to April 17 at 11:59 m.

Period of call to the winners of the fishing spots: May 5 to 8 inclusively and May 12 to 15 inclusively between 8:30 am and 6 pm.

Draw

In order to properly manage recreational fishing, La Mauricie National Park must limit the number of places for this activity. For this reason, a draw is held in order to ensure that permits are distributed fairly and equitably.

How to register  PERIOD FOR THE DRAWS IS OVER

There is only one registration period from April 3 at 8 am to April 17 at 11:59 pm for the entire 2023 fishing season. Registrations completed outside of these periods will not be considered for the draw.

Fishing spots are available for campers staying at one of the three semi-serviced campgrounds. Those with camping reservations who are interested in experiencing fishing at La Mauricie National Park must register for the draws by indicating on the form that they are registering as a camper. If the person is drawn, they must provide proof of campground reservation upon arrival in order to receive their fishing rights.

It is not permitted to register with more than one group. If a person's name associated with two different groups is drawn twice on the same day, Parks Canada will cancel the registration for each group. The same rule applies for a single person.

Registration for the draw does not constitute an authorization to fish. If a person or a group is selected, the process for obtaining fishing rights will be completed by telephone, plus additional fees for the federal fishing permit.

Allocation of fishing spots  PERIOD FOR THE ALLOCATION OF FISHING SPOTS IS OVER

Calls to the winners will be made by telephone from May 5 to 8 inclusive and from May 12 to 15 inclusive between 8:30 am and 6:00 pm. An extension of the calling period may be necessary after May 15.

During the calls, winners must select a lake and pay the daily permit fees for all group members. They must have a credit card and provide the following information:

• Lake choice
• License plate number of the vehicle
• Contact information of all group members including:
  • First and last name
  • Phone number
  • Complete address
  • Date of birth

The person selected must be available to receive a call on the day of the allocation. After 2 unanswered calls within 5 minutes, the person will have lost his or her chance and we will pick another number.

For all questions concerning fishing: lamauricie@pc.gc.ca

Obtaining a permit

To fish in the Park, every angler must obtain a daily fishing permit from La Mauricie National Park. It is non-refundable and non-transferable. The seasonal fishing license is no longer offered in order to facilitate the allocation of fishing spots and allow more people to have the privilege of fishing in the park An ID must be presented. The provincial sport fishing license is not allowed.

Lakes open to fishing

Here is the list of lakes accessible to canoe-campers and clients of the Domaine Wabenaki-Andrew: (Updated: September 5, 2023)

Catch and possession limits

• The daily catch limit is five fish, all species included, of which no more than two shall be grey (lake) trout and three northern pike. Possession limits are identical to catch limits.
• It is forbidden to continue fishing after one of these limits has been reached. Catch limits are applicable to each angler holding a permit and not to the group as a whole.
• All bass accidentally caught before the opening date (June 24) must be returned to the water while taking the appropriate precautions to ensure the survival of the fish.
• Notice to all anglers: in La Mauricie National Park it is prohibited to catch and release the following species: brook trout (brook char) and lake trout.

Recreational fishing regulations

Permit:

The permit is only valid if signed by the permit holder.

• The fishing permit must be kept on you at all times during your travels throughout the Park.
• The fishing right specifies which lakes you are entitled to fish in. You are only entitled to fish in one lake per day.
• Youths under the age of 16 may fish on the same permit as an adult on the condition that they are accompanied by that adult.
• Permit is non-refundable and non-transferable.

Counts:

• Every person who has purchased a fishing right must return it to one of the inventory stations before 5:00 pm at the visitor centers and before 6:00 pm at the campgrounds on the date of expiry of the permit, in order to record the number of fish captured and to determine the level of effort in doing so, whether or not the person fished and whether or not any fish were caught.

Equipment:

It is forbidden to:

• Propel a watercraft with the aid of an electric or gas motor and to use an apparatus that is able to detect fish (sonar).
• Leave a fishing line unsupervised or use more than one fishing line.
• Have in your possession or use live or dead bait (with the exception of earthworms), pieces of fish, leeches, or fish eggs.

Other regulations:

It is forbidden to:

• Fish on a lake other than that specified on your fishing permit.
• Having fishing equipment in La Mauricie National Park, unless having a valid La Mauricie National Park permit or keeping the fishing equipment inside a car.
• Fish between one hour after sundown and one hour before sunrise.
• Place dead fish or fish waste in the waters of the Park.
• Access to Français Lake and the portion of the Baie des Onze Îles commonly called Baie Verte (Green Bay) is forbidden.
• To stop off on islands.

Recreational fishing management

Beneath the mirrored surface of a lake hides a world unknown to most of us. Parks Canada considers angling, although a harvesting activity, an acceptable way to access this invisible universe, inhabited for the most part by fish. The question still arises whether these organisms merit the same protection as others in our national parks.

Fishing activities in the park are managed so as to protect the very nature of the resources. In practice, this means maintaining the characteristics of the populations and the evolutionary potential of the indigenous species that are the result of 10,000 years of evolution. The primary objective of the management program is to allow fish populations to develop naturally in today's changing environmental conditions. To this end, no stocking or other form of wildlife management aimed at improving fishing is permitted in national parks.

The rules governing fishing in the park are defined by the number of people fishing in one place and at a given time, among other things. A quota of fishers per lake is set daily. Managing numbers in this way keeps fishing open to visitors for the whole season. Regulations are restrictive, which means that some lakes are not open for fishing, some lakes have lower catch and possession limits than others and, on certain lakes, catch and release of trout (brook and lake) is not permitted. The Park's focus is to promote quality outdoor experiences for the largest number of visitors possible rather than ensure a large catch for each angler.

Fish stocks are managed through a quota system as well: for each lake a maximum harvest by weight is set per species. The total harvest is monitored weekly, based on information obtained through the daily registration of anglers and their obligation to surrender their permits after their activity and have their catch recorded (including fish eaten or released). Please note that the release of trout (brook trout or lake trout) is prohibited. This system has provided good fishing for near 50 years. Your cooperation is vital!

Brook (speckled) trout is the main indigenous species in the park. It accounts for more than 80% of catches. Many other species can be caught in the lakes where fishing is permitted, including lake trout, large-mouth bass and pike.