Quebec

Matane River

Quebec·Bas-Saint-Laurent·48.73° N, 67.49° 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 Matane River

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Solunar · next 7 days

About Matane River

The Matane runs 80 km from Lac Matane, partly through the Réserve faunique de Matane, to the St. Lawrence in the town of Matane. The FQSA calls it Quebec's training ground for salmon fishing, since so many anglers learned on it: most of its 80 pools are an easy walk from the road, and four of its eight sectors are public.

Log drives and dams marked its history, and most dams carry a fishway. At the Mathieu-D'Amours dam in the heart of Matane you can watch salmon climb. Fishing is by wading. Every salmon goes back in 2026, two a day at most. Read the gauge above Route 132.

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

Matane to Saint-René

WadeSalmon

The lower river from the Mathieu-D'Amours dam and its fishway in Matane, past Grand-Détour and Pont-Durette, up to Saint-René-de-Matane. Road access to most pools.

Best for: Atlantic salmon close to town, and learning the river

Above Saint-René

WadeSalmon

The upper river above Saint-René-de-Matane, toward the Réserve faunique de Matane.

Best for: Atlantic salmon away from the road

At a glance

Ideal wading flow: 9.9–42 m³/s
Blow-out: >108 m³/s
Ideal water temp: 9–18°C

Best seasons

The season runs June 15 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 15 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 Société de gestion de la rivière Matane, 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 15 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

Matane, QC

From Route 132 in the town of Matane. Roads follow the river up past Saint-René-de-Matane.

Camping: Lodging in Matane, and outfitters up the river. The FQSA river page lists them.

Société de gestion de la rivière Matane runs the river and sells the day access rights: http://www.rivierematane.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.

Matane River

Quebec·Bas-Saint-Laurent·48.73° N, 67.49° W

Log an outing

Steelhead & salmon

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

Fishing: Prime
Flow: 40m³/s; Falling; Matane River above Route 132
Water temp: —

Flow

40m³/s

Falling

Matane River above Route 132

Water temp

—

Normal range

—

Weather

1°C

Mostly Cloudy

See the full conditions on the Matane 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 Matane 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

Matane to Saint-René

WadeSalmon

The lower river from the Mathieu-D'Amours dam and its fishway in Matane, past Grand-Détour and Pont-Durette, up to Saint-René-de-Matane. Road access to most pools.

Best for: Atlantic salmon close to town, and learning the river

Above Saint-René

WadeSalmon

The upper river above Saint-René-de-Matane, toward the Réserve faunique de Matane.

Best for: Atlantic salmon away from the road

At a glance

Ideal wading flow: 9.9–42 m³/s
Blow-out: >108 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 15 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

Matane, QC

From Route 132 in the town of Matane. Roads follow the river up past Saint-René-de-Matane.

Camping: Lodging in Matane, and outfitters up the river. The FQSA river page lists them.

Matane River

Steelhead & salmon

See the full conditions on the Matane River

About Matane River

Species

Sections

Matane to Saint-René

Above Saint-René

Fishing reports

Read the fishing reports for the Matane River

More in Quebec

Other regions

Bonaventure River

Cascapédia River

Godbout River

Matapédia River

Moisie River

Petite Cascapédia River

Matane River

Steelhead & salmon

See the full conditions on the Matane River

About Matane River

Species

Sections

Matane to Saint-René

Above Saint-René

Fishing reports

Read the fishing reports for the Matane River

More in Quebec

Other regions

Bonaventure River

Cascapédia River

Godbout River

Matapédia River

Moisie River

Petite Cascapédia River

Fishing conditions

Fishing conditions