Fishing at Lac a Ouellette, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac an Ouellette is set in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec. The water sits 308 metres up. It measures about 10 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. About 2.2 km of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. Notre-Dame-du-Lac sits 60 km from the bank. Further out sit Témiscaming (65 km) and Mattawa (78 km). No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Lac a Ouellette

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Reported across Abitibi-Témiscamingue: northern pike, yellow perch, walleye, white sucker and brown bullhead. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Lac an Ouellette gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 18°C and January near -15°C. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Ice clears near late April and comes back about late November in a typical year. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Lac an Ouellette.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. If the gate is shut, Lac aux Frissons at 1.1 km is the nearest alternative. Check the position on Lac an Ouellette before loading the car.