Fishing Lac Simard in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac Simard falls inside Abitibi-Témiscamingue. The bank is 260 metres above sea level. This is big water, about 187.06 sq km, and in a wind it behaves like a small sea. It ranks high for size among our Abitibi-Témiscamingue listings. Saint-Isidore sits 51 km from the bank. It is 215 km to Greater Sudbury, the nearest city. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lac Simard

  Depth figures are not published for this one. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Public occurrence data for Abitibi-Témiscamingue names northern pike, yellow perch, walleye and white sucker. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Lac Simard gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -16°C in January to roughly 18°C in July. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Count the season from break-up, usually early May. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early May until roughly late November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. That shapes the year on Lac Simard.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Lac de la Chasse-Galerie, 6 km away, makes the obvious fallback. What applies at Lac Simard may have changed since it was mapped.