Lac MacLaurin Fishing in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac MacLaurin falls inside Abitibi-Témiscamingue. The bank is 339 metres above sea level. Roughly 75 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The edge runs 4.9 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Size puts it in the front rank of our Abitibi-Témiscamingue list. Nearest town is Val-d'Or, 54 km off. For a city, Gatineau is 280 km off. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac MacLaurin

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Fish documented in Abitibi-Témiscamingue include northern pike, yellow perch, walleye, white sucker and brown bullhead. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. At Lac MacLaurin the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 17°C, the coldest about -16°C. Winter runs most of the calendar, and everything worth doing happens in the gap. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Average temperatures cross freezing around early May in spring and again near mid November in autumn. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lac MacLaurin.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Picnic facilities are recorded some 500 m out. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Lac Magnas is 1.9 km off. Confirm access to Lac MacLaurin locally before you travel.