Fishing Lac Pachins in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec

• Overview

  Set in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec, this is Lac Pachins. The water sits 367 metres up. At 2 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Our Abitibi-Témiscamingue list holds plenty of bigger water. 98 km away sits Senneterre, the nearest town. Val-d'Or follows at 100 km, then Barraute at 117 km. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lac Pachins

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Abitibi-Témiscamingue cover northern pike, yellow perch, walleye and white sucker. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Work Lac Pachins in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 17°C at the top of summer and -17°C at the bottom of winter. The window is narrow, and fish feed hard while it lasts. Winter locks it down, and early May brings it back. The lid tends to go about early May and return around mid November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. It holds true on Lac Pachins more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. If the gate is shut, Lac Nevoy at 0.8 km is the nearest alternative. Where Lac Pachins is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.