Fishing at Lac Apia, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec

• Overview

  The Abitibi-Témiscamingue end of Quebec holds Lac Apia. The setting is northern bush. It covers about 6 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Most waters listed here for Abitibi-Témiscamingue are larger. Val-d'Or lies 87 km from the water. Senneterre lies 88 km off, Barraute another 106 km. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac Apia

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Across Abitibi-Témiscamingue, recorded fish include northern pike, yellow perch, walleye, white sucker and brown bullhead. The county list is broader than any single water. Read Lac Apia before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 17°C; the cold one sits at -17°C. A short, intense season is the rule this far north. Break-up comes around early May, and the run that follows is short and strong. Averages suggest open water from about early May through to roughly mid November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. It holds true on Lac Apia more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Réserve faunique La Vérendrye covers this ground, which means extra rules to check. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Lac Edicule sits 0.8 km off and takes the overflow. Confirm before you fish Lac Apia.