The Accessible Salmon of Quebec (extract). By David Bishop

Quebec's Atlantic salmon rivers have long been hailed in books and magazine articles as one of the great salmon destinations in the World.  The image of wild rivers flowing gin clear and full of sea-bright, and often very large, salmon has filled the thoughts of many salmon enthusiasts for years.  Unfortunately, for many of these anglers these images have always remained just that; nothing more than images.  Perhaps one of the reasons for this is the perception of many non-residents who are under the impression that the rivers are all privately run, or the language barrier is too big a hurdle to overcome.  Although much of this was true in the past, I would like to set the record straight for those of you who have ever dreamed of wading one of our crystal clear rivers in search of salmo salar.

The clear water of the
Bonaventure River. 

When should you come to Quebec?  This is the most common question that all salmon anglers ask when they intend to explore a new river or area. 

If you enjoy early season angling there are some exceptional opportunities on some of the Gaspe's better known rivers like the Matapedia, Grand Cascapedia, York and Dartmouth.  The first two are well known for their big, bright fish that come in late May and early June.  With the season opening on 1 June, an early outing can sometimes really pay off.

Fishing remains very good throughout July and into the first week or so of August, depending on water conditions.  The last two weeks of July mark the construction vacation when almost all civil servants and construction workers take their holiday.  This is probably the busiest time of year for our salmon rivers.  If you are lucky enough to have water reserved at this time, it is a great time to fish.  There is also some good sea-run brook trout fishing during high summer, with fish up to 7 or 8 lbs.

David (right)  and happy client displaying a beauty taken from the Petite Cascapedia in June.

August sees the opening of a few catch & release seasons, notably on the Cap-Chat, Madeleine and Petite Cascapedia (16 July for the latter).  This is a great time for anglers who enjoy tranquil rivers,  very enjoyable fishing weather and very little competition in the licence draw.  The rivers have seen plenty of fish in them and some continue to see runs of salmon right into September.  It is also a good time to practice one's dry-fly fishing with lighter tackle.  Rivers are usually low enough to be waded easily, and on many rivers the salmon being cast to are clearly visible.  This makes for very exciting fishing, whether a novice or old hand, and for the angler who revels in being able to observe the reaction of salmon to a surface fly.

September fishing is still fairly new to most of Quebec's ZECs (Controlled Exploitation Zones) and has seen very little fishing pressure from locals.  Licences are easily obtained through the summer draw and the unlimited water is left virtually unfished.  The crisp autumn air is apparent, as are the shorter days.  The anglers who do fish at this time enjoy rivers full of copper coloured salmon and 'blue backs', the fresh salmon that arrive in this month. 

This fall fishing has proved to be very good so far on my local waters of Petite Cascapedia, Bonaventure, Nouvelle and Grand Cascapedia.  They all produced a 50% success rate  for the rods who ventured out.  Water conditions can change rapidly, depending on how early the September rains come, and if you hit it just right you can experience some of the finest salmon fishing of the whole season.