Lac Baleine, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Lac Baleine belongs to Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec. What surrounds it is rolling bush. At about 28 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The edge runs 2.8 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. The town to know is Val-d'Or, 87 km out. Gatineau is the closest city, 256 km away. Within a short drive: 0.8 km away is Lac Huche, Lac Pilote within 0.9 km, 1.8 km away is Lac Ciseau, Lac Rubis within 2 km and 2.2 km away is Lac des Ibis. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lac Baleine

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Abitibi-Témiscamingue cover northern pike, yellow perch and walleye. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Lac Baleine gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -15°C in January up to 17°C in July. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near late April. Ice clears near late April and comes back about late November in a typical year. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lac Baleine.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. The nearest alternative is Lac Huche, 0.8 km out. What applies at Lac Baleine may have changed since it was mapped.