Fishing at Lac des Abattis, Lanaudière, Quebec

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac des Abattis belongs to Lanaudière. The bank is 451 metres above sea level. This is a pocket water of some 4 hectares, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. 35 km away sits Saint-Michel-des-Saints, the nearest town. Then Mandeville, 65 km, and Manawan, 67 km. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Abattis

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Species logged across Lanaudière include pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass and yellow perch. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Take Lac des Abattis a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 17°C on average, January about -16°C. Winter owns most of the year at this latitude. After early May the shallows warm and the fish move up. Break-up sits around early May on average, with the water closing again about mid November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Plan around that when you fish Lac des Abattis.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Lac Burner sits 0.5 km off and takes the overflow. Where Lac des Abattis is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.