Fishing at Lac en J, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec

• Overview

  Abitibi-Témiscamingue in Quebec is where Lac en J sits. The bank is 341 metres above sea level. It runs to roughly 11 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Around 2.2 km of margin, front to back. Saint-Isidore is the closest town at 92 km. After that come Notre-Dame-du-Lac at 93 km and Val-d'Or at 93 km. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lac en J

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. County-wide records name northern pike, yellow perch, walleye and white sucker. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Lac en J the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 17°C in July and bottoms out near -16°C in January. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about late November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. The season on Lac en J follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Lac Clover sits 1.3 km off and takes the overflow. Nothing here settles the position at Lac en J for certain.