Fishing at Lac Pumpy, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac Pumpy belongs to Abitibi-Témiscamingue. The ground around here is northern bush. The water covers some 11 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Around 1.5 km of margin, front to back. Ferme-Neuve lies 119 km from the water. For a city, Gatineau is 249 km off. More in the same country: Lac Boomerang roughly 1 km, Lac Kalon 1.1 km, Lac Fada roughly 1.7 km, Lac Chenille 1.8 km and Lac French roughly 2.4 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lac Pumpy

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Open biodiversity records for Abitibi-Témiscamingue list northern pike, yellow perch, walleye, white sucker and brown bullhead. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Work Lac Pumpy in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 17°C and January about -18°C. Winter runs most of the calendar, and everything worth doing happens in the gap. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. Break-up sits around early May on average, with the water closing again about mid November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Time your trip to Lac Pumpy by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. 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. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. For a change of water, Lac Boomerang is 1 km distant. What applies at Lac Pumpy may have changed since it was mapped.