Lac des Iles Fishing near Mattawa, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac des Iles is an Abitibi-Témiscamingue water, Quebec side. The water sits 384 metres up. At about 10 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. About 1.8 km of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. Mattawa sits 28 km from the bank. Then Notre-Dame-du-Lac, 62 km, and Témiscaming, 63 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lac des Iles

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Reported across Abitibi-Témiscamingue: northern pike, yellow perch, walleye, white sucker and brown bullhead. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. The shape of Lac des Iles rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 18°C, with January the cold end at about -14°C. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. The water is typically free of ice between late April and late November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Plan around that when you fish Lac des Iles.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. If the gate is shut, Lac Jadon at 1.9 km is the nearest alternative. The position on Lac des Iles is worth confirming on the day.