Petit lac Russell, Quebec: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  In Quebec, Petit lac Russell falls inside Abitibi-Témiscamingue. It lies 337 metres above sea level. Around 51 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. The edge runs 4.3 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. It is among the larger waters listed here for Abitibi-Témiscamingue. 63 km away sits Deep River, the nearest town. It is 209 km to Gatineau, the nearest city. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Petit lac Russell

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. 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. On Petit lac Russell that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 18°C, with January the cold end at about -14°C. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late April. The open-water window runs from around late April to about late November in an average year. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Plan around that when you fish Petit lac Russell.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Lac des Neiges at 1.1 km is the sensible second choice. Where Petit lac Russell is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.