Lac Allier Fishing in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec

• Overview

  Out in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec, sits Lac Allier. Elevation runs to 356 metres. Small at around 3 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. It is a small entry by Abitibi-Témiscamingue standards. For a base, Val-d'Or sits 109 km out. Beyond it, Saint-Boniface at 115 km and Senneterre at 118 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lac Allier

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Survey and observation records for Abitibi-Témiscamingue include northern pike, yellow perch, walleye, white sucker and brown bullhead. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Lac Allier the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 17°C and January reads -17°C. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from early May. The season between ice runs from about early May to late November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. It holds true on Lac Allier more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Lac Sentine at 0.5 km is the sensible second choice. For Lac Allier, the notice at the access point is the final word.