Lac Jacinthe in Abitibi-Témiscamingue: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec, is where Lac Jacinthe sits. Elevation runs to 351 metres. Small at around 9 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. For a base, Val-d'Or sits 113 km out. Then Deep River, 116 km, and Saint-Boniface, 124 km. Close neighbours run: 1 km out stands Lac Macule, Lac du Naphte about 1.3 km, 1.4 km out stands Lac de la Ramee, Lac Oille about 1.5 km and 1.6 km out stands Lac Ara. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lac Jacinthe

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Open biodiversity records for Abitibi-Témiscamingue list 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 Jacinthe is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 17°C, with January the cold end at about -16°C. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near late April. Climate averages put the opening at about late April and the closing near late November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Lac Jacinthe fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Failing this one, try Lac Macule, 1 km away. Where Lac Jacinthe is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.