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

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac Avret belongs to Abitibi-Témiscamingue. Everything around it is spruce and muskeg. Surface area runs to about 4 hectares — small enough to read in one session. On size it sits at the modest end of our Abitibi-Témiscamingue list. Supplies mean a trip to Senneterre, 98 km off. It is 298 km to Gatineau, the nearest city. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lac Avret

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. County-wide records name northern pike, yellow perch, walleye and white sucker. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The near bank of Lac Avret is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -18°C in January and 16°C in July. This is a two-season water: locked, then wide open. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near early May. The lid tends to go about early May and return around mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. It holds true on Lac Avret more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. The nearest alternative is Lac Bou, 0.8 km out. None of that is settled for Lac Avret in what we hold.