Fishing Lac Caribou in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Caribou is one of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue listings for Quebec. This is mixed forest country. It runs to roughly 10 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Around 1.5 km of margin, front to back. The closest town, Malartic, is 22 km away. The big place round here is Greater Sudbury, 261 km distant. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lac Caribou

  Our records hold no depth for this water. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Species logged across Abitibi-Témiscamingue include northern pike, yellow perch, walleye, white sucker and brown bullhead. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The near bank of Lac Caribou is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 17°C; by January the average is down near -17°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Break-up comes around early May, and the run that follows is short and strong. Open water usually runs from early May until about mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. It holds true on Lac Caribou more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Should this one be busy, Lac Moise is 1.8 km off. Check the position on Lac Caribou before loading the car.