Lac Castor Fishing near Senneterre, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Castor sits within Abitibi-Témiscamingue in Quebec. Elevation runs to 449 metres. About 4 hectares of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Most waters listed here for Abitibi-Témiscamingue are larger. For supplies, Senneterre is 112 km out. Leblanc lies 115 km off, Manawan another 140 km. Close by you have: Lac Benny 0.7 km off, Lac Jean within 0.8 km, Lac L 0.9 km off, Lac Paste within 1.2 km and Lac du Bout 1.3 km off. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac Castor

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Public occurrence data for Abitibi-Témiscamingue names northern pike, yellow perch, walleye, white sucker and brown bullhead. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Lac Castor light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 16°C and January reads -18°C. This far north the hard season runs and runs. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early May. Averages suggest open water from about early May through to roughly mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. On Lac Castor the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Lac Benny is 0.7 km distant. For Lac Castor, the notice at the access point is the final word.