Lac Baruel, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Set in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec, this is Lac Baruel. This is taiga country. This is sizeable water at about 1.42 sq km, and a boat opens up most of it. Shoreline length is close to 12 km, and each section fishes a little differently. Size puts it in the front rank of our Abitibi-Témiscamingue list. The town to know is Lebel-sur-Quévillon, 85 km out. The big place round here is Saguenay, 356 km distant. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Baruel

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Abitibi-Témiscamingue records list northern pike, yellow perch, walleye, white sucker and brown bullhead among the fish reported. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Read Lac Baruel before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 16°C in July and bottoms out near -19°C in January. Winter owns most of the year at this latitude. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early May. From about early May to around mid November, expect open water on the long-run figures. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Plan any trip to Lac Baruel around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Should this one be busy, Lac Gardet is 1.1 km off. Check the current arrangement for Lac Baruel.