Fishing Lac Maganasipi in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec

• Overview

  The Abitibi-Témiscamingue entry here is Lac Maganasipi, in Quebec. It lies 329 metres above sea level. At 5.56 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. The perimeter is close to 41 km, and wind can be flat in one arm and rough in the next. It ranks high for size among our Abitibi-Témiscamingue listings. For a base, Mattawa sits 34 km out. Then Notre-Dame-du-Lac, 56 km, and Témiscaming, 58 km. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Maganasipi

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Across Abitibi-Témiscamingue, recorded fish include northern pike, yellow perch, walleye and white sucker. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. At Lac Maganasipi the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -14°C in January up to 18°C in July. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly late November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Anyone fishing Lac Maganasipi regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. The nearest alternative is Lac a la Pluie, 2.2 km out. Ask locally about Lac Maganasipi if anything is unclear.