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

• Overview

  Lac Small stands in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec. This is lake country bush ground. With some 25 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Val-d'Or sits 98 km from the bank. After that come Malartic at 113 km and Senneterre at 126 km. In the same area: Lac du Martinet just 1 km, Lac Binet at about 1.4 km, Lac Binard just 1.4 km, Lac Lindor at about 1.8 km and Lac du Paumier just 1.9 km. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lac Small

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Abitibi-Témiscamingue records list northern pike, yellow perch, walleye and white sucker among the fish reported. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The shape of Lac Small rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 17°C in July and bottoms out near -16°C in January. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. The lid usually goes in early May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. The open-water window runs from around early May to about late November in an average year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. On Lac Small the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Failing this one, try Lac du Martinet, 1 km away. The position on Lac Small is worth confirming on the day.