Lac Cambarel, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  The Abitibi-Témiscamingue end of Quebec holds Lac Cambarel. It lies 377 metres above sea level. Surface area runs to about 6 hectares — small enough to read in one session. For a base, Val-d'Or sits 103 km out. The big place round here is Gatineau, 233 km distant. Others within reach: Lac Filot a touch under 1 km, Lac Rigel the better part of 1 km, Lac Palmier a touch under 1.1 km, Lac Echalas the better part of 1.6 km and Lac Ambronay a touch under 1.9 km. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Lac Cambarel

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Reported across Abitibi-Témiscamingue: northern pike, yellow perch, walleye and white sucker. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. At Lac Cambarel the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -16°C to 17°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early May. Climate averages put the opening at about early May and the closing near late November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. The season on Lac Cambarel rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. 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. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Should this one be busy, Lac Filot is 1 km off. Where Lac Cambarel is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.