Lac du Poete, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Lac du Poete is one of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue waters in Quebec. The surface lies 401 metres up. This is sizeable water at about 2.12 sq km, and a boat opens up most of it. At about 21 km of edge, most people work one arm at a time. Few waters listed in Abitibi-Témiscamingue are bigger. Leblanc is the closest place, 87 km off. It is 320 km to Trois-Rivières, the nearest city. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac du Poete

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. 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. At Lac du Poete the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 16°C at the top of summer and -18°C at the bottom of winter. The window is narrow, and fish feed hard while it lasts. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. The season between ice runs from about early May to mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Lac du Poete fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Some banks are open only from a marked point. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. The nearest alternative is Lac Rivas, 2.2 km out. Confirm before you fish Lac du Poete.