Fishing Lac Shannon in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Shannon is an Abitibi-Témiscamingue water, Quebec side. This is spruce and muskeg ground. This is sizeable water at about 1.26 sq km, and a boat opens up most of it. Some 13 km of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. On our Abitibi-Témiscamingue list it sits near the top for size. Senneterre is the closest place, 114 km off. It is 278 km to Gatineau, the nearest city. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac Shannon

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Records held for Abitibi-Témiscamingue cover northern pike, yellow perch, walleye and white sucker. The county list is broader than any single water. Treat Lac Shannon as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 16°C and January about -18°C. Cold dominates the year and the fishing works around it. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early May. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Lac Shannon runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. 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 water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. For a change of water, Lac Jacques is 1.9 km distant. Treat access at Lac Shannon as something to verify.