Lac de la Turlute in Abitibi-Témiscamingue: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac de la Turlute sits in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, out in Quebec. The surface lies 320 metres up. It measures about 18 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Roughly 2.3 km of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. Notre-Dame-du-Lac at 43 km is the nearest place to stop. The nearest city of size is Greater Sudbury, 193 km away. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lac de la Turlute

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Abitibi-Témiscamingue cover northern pike, yellow perch and walleye. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Lac de la Turlute responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -14°C and July at about 18°C, the water has a wide range to work through. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around late April. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. On Lac de la Turlute that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Should this one be busy, Lac Ecureuil is 1.6 km off. None of that is settled for Lac de la Turlute in what we hold.