Lac Nekaw, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  The Abitibi-Témiscamingue end of Quebec holds Lac Nekaw. It sits at 274 metres above sea level. The water covers some 61 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. At about 8.7 km of edge, most people work one arm at a time. It is among the larger waters listed here for Abitibi-Témiscamingue. Notre-Dame-du-Lac sits 49 km from here and is the nearest stop. For a city, Greater Sudbury is 199 km off. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Lac Nekaw

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Abitibi-Témiscamingue cover northern pike, yellow perch and walleye. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Lac Nekaw gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 18°C and January near -14°C. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly late November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. It holds true on Lac Nekaw more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Lac Swamp sits 0.8 km off and takes the overflow. Rules at Lac Nekaw are worth checking on the day.