Matane River
The Matane River flows through the town of the same name on the Gaspé coast, just before emptying into the St-Laurent. It rises at Lac Matane and flows for 80 kilometers, including through Réserve faunique de Matane. With its many tributaries, the river is considered Quebec's training ground for salmon fishing, as many anglers have learned their trade on it.
Having long served as a communication route for Amerindians, the Matane River has been marked since the 19th century by log driving and several dams, most of them equipped with a salmon fishway. In 1879, Colonel Irwing founded the Matane Salmon Club, becoming a pioneer of sport fishing for this species. In the 1930s, following the near-disappearance of the Matane salmon, the provincial government established protection measures and fishing regulations. Managed today by the Société de gestion de la rivière Matane, sport fishing for salmon in this waterway offers 80 pools spread over the entire length of the river. Access to most of them is easy, and salmon are plentiful.
The river will appeal to anglers because of its easy road access to the pools, and the fishway where you can watch the salmon run up to the Mathieu-D'Amours dam in the heart of Matane.
