Lac Mackay, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Lac Mackay lies within the bounds of Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec. It stands 274 metres above sea level. It measures about 14 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. A shoreline of some 2.5 km keeps the choices simple. For a base, Rouyn-Noranda sits 28 km out. For a city, Greater Sudbury is 262 km off. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lac Mackay

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. 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. Take Lac Mackay a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 17°C in July and bottoms out near -17°C in January. The season is measured in weeks rather than months. Once it clears, about early May, the fishing comes on quickly. Averages place the thaw at early May and the freeze at mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Time your trip to Lac Mackay by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. The nearest alternative is Lac Monast, 1.4 km out. Treat access at Lac Mackay as something to verify.