Lac Boivin in southern Quebec
Lac Boivin is located in the town of Granby, in southern Quebec, Canada. The lake's geographic location enables largemouth black bass to survive the province's harsh winters, and its population is very well represented - in fact, it's the majority fish.
No combustion or electric motors are allowed on the lake, which makes it ideal for kayaking and float-tubing. Kayaks can be rented directly on site, which is perfect if you're planning a session on a vacation in the area. The lake is also accessible from the shore at a number of points.
With a surface area of 1.4 km 2 the lake is relatively large. However, with a depth of between 60 and 150 centimetres, the lake is very uniform and there are no particularly marked spots at first glance.
Prospecting
Indeed, when you start fishing such a lake, you don't really know where to start and what's left to do is to try a little bit everywhere.
When catching a few fish, you need to pay attention to details and understand what keeps them in that particular spot, such as the type of vegetation, placement in relation to the wind, edge composition or depth, as there's a good chance that it's in these conditions that other fish will be found.
Fish behaviour can change rapidly with the slightest change in climate, and every time we visit this lake, we have to take the time to look for them.
The configuration you had to look for to hope to find fish was the areas where you could see the vegetation flush with the surface, in a depth of around 80 centimetres.
Rain had fallen the previous night, turning the water slightly tinted and probably lowering the lake temperature a little.
Once you've found the ideal biotope, the best way to optimize your fishing is to move from one similar area to another, without dwelling on shallower or deeper areas that don't have the same vegetation.
When you catch a fish, you must insist on the area, because if it's suitable for a black bass, it's most likely suitable for other fish of the same species.
The lure
As for the lure we used, once we'd found the right pattern, we didn't deviate from our choice: a soft 4-inch shad lure in shades of green, mounted on a leaded Texan hook.
This set-up allows you to pass through the vegetation, while maintaining a good exploration speed, which is essential given the size of the lake and the absence of marked posts.
Once these parameters were found, the fish followed at a good pace, mainly black bass, although a few pike and a walleye also joined in.
