Fishing Lac des Gazounes in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac des Gazounes sits in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, out in Quebec. Beyond the shoreline you have mixed forest. It covers about 6 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. The town to know is Notre-Dame-du-Lac, 87 km out. Témiscaming is 92 km and Mattawa 101 km. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Gazounes

  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. Records held for Abitibi-Témiscamingue cover northern pike, yellow perch, walleye, white sucker and brown bullhead. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Read Lac des Gazounes for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 17°C and January near -15°C on the long-run figures. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Once it clears, about late April, the fishing comes on quickly. The lid tends to go about late April and return around late November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Lac des Gazounes runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. The nearest alternative is Lac de la Bombarde, 0.6 km out. Check the position at Lac des Gazounes before loading the car.