Lac Jerome Fishing in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec

• Overview

  Quebec holds Lac Jerome, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue. The surface lies 414 metres up. With some 18 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The edge runs 3.7 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Ferme-Neuve sits 115 km from the bank. The nearest city of size is Gatineau, 247 km away. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lac Jerome

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Survey and observation records for Abitibi-Témiscamingue include northern pike, yellow perch, walleye and white sucker. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Lac Jerome gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 16°C and January near -18°C. This far north the hard season runs and runs. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early May and starts locking again about mid November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Lac Jerome.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. If the gate is shut, Lac Rotary at 2.1 km is the nearest alternative. Confirm before you fish Lac Jerome.