Lac Smith Fishing near Mattawa, Quebec

• Overview

  Lac Smith sits in in Quebec. This is lake country bush ground. At 1.32 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. There is roughly 8.3 km of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. Few waters listed in Quebec are bigger. Mattawa is the closest town at 21 km. After that come Notre-Dame-du-Lac at 66 km and Témiscaming at 66 km. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Lac Smith

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Lac Smith responds to conditions more than to tactics. Rocky edges hold food that silt bottoms do not.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 18°C at the top of summer and -14°C at the bottom of winter. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about late November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lac Smith.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. For a change of water, Lac Skunk is 1.4 km distant. Nothing on Lac Smith should be assumed from this page alone.