Fishing at Lac Marteau, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec

• Overview

  Set in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec, this is Lac Marteau. The surface lies 357 metres up. At about 15 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Bank access stretches around 1.9 km in total. Senneterre lies 100 km from the water. Beyond it, Val-d'Or at 105 km and Barraute at 121 km. Round about: Lac Balzane roughly 0.7 km, Lac Cambrai some 0.8 km off, Lac Surprise roughly 2 km, Petit lac Surprise some 2 km off and Lac Ervin roughly 2.4 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lac Marteau

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Fish documented in Abitibi-Témiscamingue include northern pike, yellow perch and walleye. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Lac Marteau the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -17°C and July at about 17°C, the water has a wide range to work through. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. After early May the shallows warm and the fish move up. The open-water window runs from around early May to about mid November in an average year. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Lac Marteau.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. If the gate is shut, Lac Balzane at 0.7 km is the nearest alternative. Ask locally about Lac Marteau if anything is unclear.