Fishing Lac Pantoum in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Pantoum lies within the bounds of Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec. Northern bush runs right down to the water. It covers about 4 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Our Abitibi-Témiscamingue list holds plenty of bigger water. Senneterre at 87 km is the nearest place to stop. After that come Val-d'Or at 89 km and Barraute at 106 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac Pantoum

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Reported across Abitibi-Témiscamingue: northern pike, yellow perch, walleye and white sucker. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Lac Pantoum responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -17°C to 17°C. Open water arrives late and leaves early, which concentrates the fishing. Once it clears, about early May, the fishing comes on quickly. Average temperatures cross freezing around early May in spring and again near mid November in autumn. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Plan any trip to Lac Pantoum around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Lac Rampan is 0.5 km distant. For Lac Pantoum in particular, ask before you travel.