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
Reservation of fishing places
Map of fishing lakes and portages
Obtaining a permit
Catch and possession limits
Recreational fishing regulations
Recreational fishing management

Fees and schedule

Fees

Fishing berth reservations open: April 15, 2024 at 8 am Eastern Time
Opening on June 1, 2024
Closing date: August 31, 2024
Recreational fishing days are Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Reservation

To reserve your fishing spot on one of our lakes, you must do so on the Parks Canada reservation system.

Internet: www.reservation.pc.gc.ca
Telephone: 1-877-737-3783 (1-877-RESERVE) from 8 am to 6 pm
Telephone (Outside of North America): 1-519-826-5391
TTY: 1-866-787-6221

Map of fishing lakes and portages

For a larger version of this map, see printable version. (PDF, 201 KB)

Reservation of fishing spots

Anglers wishing to register for a fishing day at La Mauricie National Park can do so using the Parks Canada reservation system. Visitors will be able to reserve their spot on a first-come, first-served basis, as with camping sites. Anglers will see which lakes are available according to the dates they have selected. It will be possible to make two reservations per transaction and one reservation per person per fishing day, with a maximum of two permits per reservation. The number of transactions is not limited.

All fishing spots must be reserved, whether you are a canoe camper, camper or day angler. No fishing spots are reserved for any particular type of angler. Only unreserved fishing spots that are still available in the reservation system can be allocated on site.

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. The person holding the reservation will automatically be designated as the holder of the first fishing permit to be issued. If a second permit has been reserved, it will be assigned to the accompanying person, who will come to the park with the person holding the reservation. It is non-refundable and non-transferable. A piece of identification must be presented to take possession of the fishing permit, which must be signed on site. The provincial sport fishing license is not allowed.

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 daily fishing permit specifies your fishing lake. 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 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 the one indicated on the daily fishing permit.
• Have 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.
• 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 continuously, 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.