Lac Ecarte Fishing Guide, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec

• Overview

  The Abitibi-Témiscamingue end of Quebec holds Lac Ecarte. The water sits 299 metres up. At 3.02 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. There is roughly 28 km of bank, and each arm behaves like its own water. Size puts it in the front rank of our Abitibi-Témiscamingue list. For a base, Saint-Isidore sits 58 km out. Notre-Dame-du-Lac follows at 61 km, then Ville-Marie at 64 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Ecarte

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Records held for Abitibi-Témiscamingue cover northern pike, yellow perch and walleye. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. At Lac Ecarte the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -15°C in January to roughly 18°C in July. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. The season between ice runs from about late April to late November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. It holds true on Lac Ecarte more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Lac North is 1.5 km distant. What applies at Lac Ecarte may have changed since it was mapped.