Lac Epinoy Fishing in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Epinoy is an Abitibi-Témiscamingue water, Quebec side. The bank is 355 metres above sea level. At about 47 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The shoreline runs about 6.4 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. The closest town, Senneterre, is 80 km distant. For a city, Gatineau is 265 km off. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lac Epinoy

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Records held for Abitibi-Témiscamingue cover northern pike, yellow perch, walleye and white sucker. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Work Lac Epinoy in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 17°C on average, January about -17°C. The season is measured in weeks rather than months. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Climate averages put the opening at about early May and the closing near mid November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. At Lac Epinoy the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Failing this one, try Lac Baraka, 1.1 km away. Check the position on Lac Epinoy before loading the car.