Lac Shigak in Abitibi-Témiscamingue: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Abitibi-Témiscamingue entry here is Lac Shigak, in Quebec. The setting is rolling bush on every side. At about 22 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Around 2.2 km of margin, front to back. Some 86 km away sits Notre-Dame-du-Lac, the nearest settlement. After that come Témiscaming at 90 km and Mattawa at 100 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lac Shigak

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Public occurrence data for Abitibi-Témiscamingue names northern pike, yellow perch, walleye and white sucker. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. At Lac Shigak the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -15°C to 17°C. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. On Lac Shigak the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. The nearest alternative is Lac de la Bombarde, 1.1 km out. Rules at Lac Shigak are worth checking on the day.