Lac James Fishing in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec

• Overview

  Look for Lac James in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec. The water sits 429 metres up. Small at around 10 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Bank access stretches around 2.9 km in total. Leblanc at 96 km is the nearest place to stop. Beyond it, Senneterre at 127 km and Manawan at 129 km. Close neighbours run: Lac Sirois at about 1 km, Lac Ferron 1.2 km, Lac Naomi at about 1.7 km, Lac Doms 2 km and Lac Wally at about 2 km. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Lac James

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. County-wide records name northern pike, yellow perch, walleye, white sucker and brown bullhead. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. On Lac James a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -18°C in January and 16°C in July. Cold dominates the calendar on water this far north. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early May. In an average year the thaw lands around early May and the freeze near mid November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Anyone fishing Lac James regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Failing this one, try Lac Sirois, 1 km away. Nothing here settles the position at Lac James for certain.