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

• Overview

  Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec, is where Lac Varent sits. Country round the bank runs to rolling bush. Surface area runs to about 7 hectares — small enough to read in one session. For supplies, Deep River is 108 km out. Gatineau sits 229 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. More in the same country: Lac Tabis a shade over 0.5 km, Lac Givry roughly 0.8 km, Lac Abrest a shade over 1.2 km, Lac Contis roughly 1.9 km and Lac Tael a shade over 2 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lac Varent

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Abitibi-Témiscamingue cover northern pike, yellow perch, walleye, white sucker and brown bullhead. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Lac Varent fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 17°C; by January the average is down near -15°C. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about late November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Plan around that when you fish Lac Varent.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. For a change of water, Lac Tabis is 0.5 km distant. Check the position on Lac Varent before loading the car.