Fishing Lac Martel in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac Martel belongs to Abitibi-Témiscamingue. Country round the bank runs to rolling bush. Surface area is around 25 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Shoreline comes to about 3.7 km, small enough to learn in a day. Saint-Isidore sits 36 km from here and is the nearest stop. The nearest city of size is Greater Sudbury, 193 km away. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Lac Martel

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Reported across Abitibi-Témiscamingue: northern pike, yellow perch, walleye, white sucker and brown bullhead. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Lac Martel the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 18°C at the top of summer and -16°C at the bottom of winter. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late April. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about late November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. It holds true on Lac Martel more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. The nearest alternative is Lac Blondeau, 0.9 km out. Confirm before you fish Lac Martel.