Fishing at Lac Shamus, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec

• Overview

  Set in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec, this is Lac Shamus. Spruce and muskeg runs right down to the water. It runs to roughly 93 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The edge covers about 5.5 km, enough to hold several distinct areas. It ranks high for size among our Abitibi-Témiscamingue listings. For a base, Val-d'Or sits 52 km out. It is 293 km to Gatineau, the nearest city. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lac Shamus

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Open biodiversity records for Abitibi-Témiscamingue list northern pike, yellow perch, walleye and white sucker. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Read Lac Shamus before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 17°C in July and bottoms out near -17°C in January. Cold dominates the calendar on water this far north. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early May. From about early May to around mid November, expect open water on the long-run figures. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. On Lac Shamus the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. A platform or pier sits within 840 m. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Should this one be busy, Lac Savoie is 7.6 km off. Rules at Lac Shamus are worth checking on the day.