Quebec

Bonaventure River

Quebec·Gaspé Peninsula·48.21° N, 65.57° W

Steelhead & salmon

Run	Months	Peak	Now
Summer Atlantic salmon	Jun–Sep	Jul	From Jun

Run timing is a guide, and seasons, closures and limits change. Check the Gouvernement du Québec: salmon fishing rules and the 2026 season terms (news release, March 12, 2026). Seasons and managers from the Fédération québécoise pour le saumon atlantique. before you fish.

See the full conditions on the Bonaventure River

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About Bonaventure River

The Bonaventure rises in the Parc de la Gaspésie and runs 125 km over rock, gravel and cobble to the Baie des Chaleurs. Its water is famously cold and clear, so the salmon are easy to see. It was long the water of private clubs; today about 78% of its length is public.

Two partners share it: the Association des pêcheurs sportifs de la Bonaventure runs about 65 km as the Zec Bonaventure, and the Club and Camp Bonaventure fish the rest. The FQSA counts 98 pools in eight sectors, five by draw and three public. Many pools wade, and a canoe matters in high water. Every salmon goes back in 2026, two a day at most. Read the gauge above Creux Brook.

Species

Atlantic Salmon
Primary · Jun-Sep · Grilse 30-63 cm, salmon 63-100 cm+
Wild Atlantic salmon. Every salmon goes back in 2026, two a day at most. Fly only.
Brook Trout
Present · Jun-Sep · 15-30 cm
Brook trout share the river. Check the zone's trout rules and the manager's sector rules.

Species	Abundance	Best Season	Size
Atlantic Salmon	Primary	Jun-Sep	Grilse 30-63 cm, salmon 63-100 cm+
Brook Trout	Present	Jun-Sep	15-30 cm

Sections

2 reaches

Above Creux Brook

Wade & FloatSalmon

The middle river above Creux Brook, where the gauge sits, up through the zec's draw sectors. Canoes help when the water is up.

Best for: Atlantic salmon in the draw sectors

Bonaventure to Creux Brook

Wade & FloatSalmon

The lower river from the town of Bonaventure up to Creux Brook, past Thivierge. Clear water over cobble and gravel, wadeable in summer.

Best for: Atlantic salmon you can sight-fish

At a glance

Ideal wading flow: 12–57 m³/s
Blow-out: >133 m³/s
Ideal water temp: 9–18°C

Best seasons

The season runs June 1 to September 30. Salmon move on a rise and fish best as the river drops back and clears. July is the heart of the run. In a hot, dry spell the river runs low and warm, so fish the cool hours.

Regulations

Season June 1 to September 30. Every salmon caught is released in 2026. The catch-and-release quota is two salmon a day. Fly only. Each sector needs a day access right from Association des pêcheurs sportifs de la Bonaventure (Zec Bonaventure), and restricted sectors go by draw.

Licence: A Quebec Atlantic salmon fishing licence, for residents or non-residents, plus a day access right for the sector you fish, bought from the river's manager. Restricted sectors are allocated in the manager's November 1 draw and in 48-hour draws in season. Public sectors are open to anyone with an access right.
Tags: No salmon may be kept here in 2026, so no tag is used. A kept salmon elsewhere is tagged at once with the licence's tag and registered within 48 hours, with a season limit of four.

Salmon season: June 1 to September 30 (FQSA river page; check the manager's dates for each sector).
Every salmon caught is released in 2026. The catch-and-release quota is two salmon a day.
In salmon rivers, fishing is generally fly only.
For other species in a salmon river: no fishing from an hour after sunset to an hour before sunrise, none from a bridge over the river or its estuary, and none within 23 m below a fishway or a falls built for fish to pass.
Every sector needs a day access right from the river's manager. Rules can differ by sector, so check the manager's sector rules before you fish.

Quebec rivers are run sector by sector by their manager, under the province's rules. The 2026 terms carry over the 2025 rules, and the ministry can change them in season if the runs are weak. Quebec's warm-water closures do not list this river in 2026.

Source: Gouvernement du Québec: salmon fishing rules and the 2026 season terms (news release, March 12, 2026). Seasons and managers from the Fédération québécoise pour le saumon atlantique.. Regulations change annually. Verify before fishing.

Getting there

Bonaventure, QC

From Route 132 at Bonaventure, on the Baie des Chaleurs. Roads follow the lower river up the valley.

Camping: Outfitters and camps on the river, and lodging in Bonaventure. The FQSA river page lists the outfitters.

Association des pêcheurs sportifs de la Bonaventure (Zec Bonaventure) runs the river and sells the day access rights: https://www.zecbonaventure.com/. Restricted sectors are allocated in the November 1 draw and in 48-hour draws in season. Public sectors are open to anyone with an access right. Outfitters on the river sell their own packages.

Bonaventure River

Quebec·Gaspé Peninsula·48.21° N, 65.57° W

Log an outing

Steelhead & salmon

Run	Months	Peak	Now
Summer Atlantic salmon	Jun–Sep	Jul	From Jun

Fishing: Good
Flow: 13m³/s; Steady; Bonaventure River above Creux Brook
Water temp: —

Flow

13m³/s

Steady

Bonaventure River above Creux Brook

Water temp

—

Normal range

—

Weather

1°C

Cloudy

See the full conditions on the Bonaventure River

Flow and temperature charts for every station, the weather, and the days ahead. Free, with an email.

A free account also gets you

5-day Fish Index forecastSee how each of the next 5 days rates on every river and lake, from the flow or wind, water temperature, weather and moon forecasts.
A dashboard for your watersSave your rivers and lakes and compare them on one board, with the last week and the days ahead.
A logbook that fills in the conditionsLog outings and trips with photos, even with no signal in the app. Troutline adds the flow, water temperature and weather for each day.
Your angler profileSee other anglers' public outings, and share yours.

Already have an account?

Want history, unlimited alerts and more? , with the first 14 days free for new members.

Solunar · next 7 days

About Bonaventure River

Species

Atlantic Salmon
Primary · Jun-Sep · Grilse 30-63 cm, salmon 63-100 cm+
Wild Atlantic salmon. Every salmon goes back in 2026, two a day at most. Fly only.
Brook Trout
Present · Jun-Sep · 15-30 cm
Brook trout share the river. Check the zone's trout rules and the manager's sector rules.

Species	Abundance	Best Season	Size
Atlantic Salmon	Primary	Jun-Sep	Grilse 30-63 cm, salmon 63-100 cm+
Brook Trout	Present	Jun-Sep	15-30 cm

Sections

2 reaches

Above Creux Brook

Wade & FloatSalmon

The middle river above Creux Brook, where the gauge sits, up through the zec's draw sectors. Canoes help when the water is up.

Best for: Atlantic salmon in the draw sectors

Bonaventure to Creux Brook

Wade & FloatSalmon

The lower river from the town of Bonaventure up to Creux Brook, past Thivierge. Clear water over cobble and gravel, wadeable in summer.

Best for: Atlantic salmon you can sight-fish

At a glance

Ideal wading flow: 12–57 m³/s
Blow-out: >133 m³/s
Ideal water temp: 9–18°C

Best seasons

Regulations

Licence: A Quebec Atlantic salmon fishing licence, for residents or non-residents, plus a day access right for the sector you fish, bought from the river's manager. Restricted sectors are allocated in the manager's November 1 draw and in 48-hour draws in season. Public sectors are open to anyone with an access right.
Tags: No salmon may be kept here in 2026, so no tag is used. A kept salmon elsewhere is tagged at once with the licence's tag and registered within 48 hours, with a season limit of four.

Salmon season: June 1 to September 30 (FQSA river page; check the manager's dates for each sector).
Every salmon caught is released in 2026. The catch-and-release quota is two salmon a day.
In salmon rivers, fishing is generally fly only.
For other species in a salmon river: no fishing from an hour after sunset to an hour before sunrise, none from a bridge over the river or its estuary, and none within 23 m below a fishway or a falls built for fish to pass.
Every sector needs a day access right from the river's manager. Rules can differ by sector, so check the manager's sector rules before you fish.

Getting there

Bonaventure, QC

From Route 132 at Bonaventure, on the Baie des Chaleurs. Roads follow the lower river up the valley.

Camping: Outfitters and camps on the river, and lodging in Bonaventure. The FQSA river page lists the outfitters.

Bonaventure River

Steelhead & salmon

See the full conditions on the Bonaventure River

About Bonaventure River

Species

Sections

Above Creux Brook

Bonaventure to Creux Brook

Fishing reports

Read the fishing reports for the Bonaventure River

More in Quebec

Gaspé Peninsula

Cascapédia River

Matapédia River

Petite Cascapédia River

Restigouche River

Sainte-Anne River

York River

Other regions

Godbout River

Matane River

Moisie River

Sainte-Marguerite River

Bonaventure River

Steelhead & salmon

See the full conditions on the Bonaventure River

About Bonaventure River

Species

Sections

Above Creux Brook

Bonaventure to Creux Brook

Fishing reports

Read the fishing reports for the Bonaventure River

More in Quebec

Gaspé Peninsula

Cascapédia River

Matapédia River

Petite Cascapédia River

Restigouche River

Sainte-Anne River

York River

Other regions

Godbout River

Matane River

Moisie River

Sainte-Marguerite River

Fishing conditions

Fishing conditions