Lac Ollivon in Abitibi-Témiscamingue: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lac Ollivon stands in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec. This is boreal forest ground. At about 69 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. There is roughly 3.2 km of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. Size puts it in the front rank of our Abitibi-Témiscamingue list. The town to know is Val-d'Or, 20 km out. It is 280 km to Greater Sudbury, the nearest city. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Ollivon

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Records held for Abitibi-Témiscamingue cover northern pike, yellow perch, walleye, white sucker and brown bullhead. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Lac Ollivon gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -16°C in January up to 17°C in July. This is a two-season water: locked, then wide open. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early May. Averages place the thaw at early May and the freeze at mid November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Lac Ollivon runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Lac Lemoine at 4.6 km is the sensible second choice. For Lac Ollivon in particular, ask before you travel.