Lac Martin Fishing, NW of Senneterre, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Martin is an Abitibi-Témiscamingue water, Quebec side. Elevation runs to 361 metres. About 1.65 sq km, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. Some 21 km of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. Size puts it in the front rank of our Abitibi-Témiscamingue list. Nearest town is Senneterre, 107 km off. Val-d'Or is 114 km away, with Ferme-Neuve at 125 km. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac Martin

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Abitibi-Témiscamingue records list northern pike, yellow perch, walleye, white sucker and brown bullhead among the fish reported. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Read Lac Martin before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 17°C, the coldest about -17°C. This far north the hard season runs and runs. Ice is part of the season here, ending near early May. The water is typically free of ice between early May and mid November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Lac Martin fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Lac Cather at 2.1 km is the sensible second choice. Treat Lac Martin as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.