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

• Overview

  Abitibi-Témiscamingue in Quebec is where Lac Cancan sits. The water sits 336 metres up. Surface area runs to about 9 hectares — small enough to read in one session. For supplies, Val-d'Or is 53 km out. Gatineau sits 280 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Others close at hand: Lac Radenac sits 1.4 km out, Lac aux Taillis within 1.7 km, Lac de l'Effroi sits 1.9 km out, Lac Palaja within 2.1 km and Lac Accore sits 2.6 km out. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Lac Cancan

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Survey and observation records for Abitibi-Témiscamingue include northern pike, yellow perch, walleye, white sucker and brown bullhead. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. At Lac Cancan light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 17°C, with January the cold end at about -16°C. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early May. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about mid November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Lac Cancan runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Should this one be busy, Lac Radenac is 1.4 km off. Check the position at Lac Cancan before loading the car.