Lac Godard Fishing in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Godard sits in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, out in Quebec. Everything around it is pine and birch. At 2.04 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. With 8.2 km or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Size puts it in the front rank of our Abitibi-Témiscamingue list. 47 km away sits Malartic, the nearest town. Further out sit Val-d'Or (59 km) and Rouyn-Noranda (69 km). The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Godard

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Public occurrence data for Abitibi-Témiscamingue names northern pike, yellow perch and walleye. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. On Lac Godard the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -16°C and July at about 17°C, the water has a wide range to work through. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Break-up sits around early May on average, with the water closing again about late November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. That is the shape of the year on Lac Godard.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Lac Hippocampe sits 8.9 km off and takes the overflow. Where Lac Godard is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.