Lac Archelles in Abitibi-Témiscamingue: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac Archelles is an Abitibi-Témiscamingue water, Quebec side. It lies 360 metres above sea level. The water measures roughly 8 hectares, so nothing here is far from anything else. Val-d'Or sits 99 km from here and is the nearest stop. Beyond it, Malartic at 111 km and Deep River at 125 km. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Lac Archelles

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. County-wide records name northern pike, yellow perch, walleye, white sucker and brown bullhead. The county list is broader than any single water. Lac Archelles fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 17°C; by January the average is down near -16°C. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lac Archelles.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. For a change of water, Lac Dargis is 0.4 km distant. Nothing here settles the position at Lac Archelles for certain.