Lac Hippocampe Fishing in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec

• Overview

  Abitibi-Témiscamingue in Quebec is where Lac Hippocampe sits. The water sits 321 metres up. This is sizeable water at about 1.56 sq km, and a boat opens up most of it. The shoreline runs about 14 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. It ranks high for size among our Abitibi-Témiscamingue listings. Supplies mean a trip to Malartic, 52 km off. Rouyn-Noranda is 64 km away, with Val-d'Or at 67 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Hippocampe

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. County-wide records name northern pike, yellow perch and walleye. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The near bank of Lac Hippocampe is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 17°C on average, January about -16°C. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from early May. Climate averages put the opening at about early May and the closing near late November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. The season on Lac Hippocampe rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Should this one be busy, Lac en Cheville is 3.2 km off. Nothing here settles the position at Lac Hippocampe for certain.