Quebec Fishing Spots, Maps and Reports

As Canada’s largest province Quebec is fortunate to have 29 fishing zones and about 100 different freshwater fish species. All of these fishing zones are regulated, some more so than others because of the government’s goal to protect certain indigenous fish species. Anyone interested in fishing in Quebec’s main rivers and lakes must file for one of 3 fishing licenses. The licenses are: license to fish for monkfish, license to fish for salmon, and sport fishing license to fish for other species. The sport fishing license covers the one primary angler, the spouse and any child under the age of 18. Non-residents have a choice of 1, 3, or 7 days and are charged a higher license fee while residents are issued license based on their age.

Some of the basic rules in fishing in Quebec
License must be with the angler when fishing
There are daily catch limits per license and the limit is dictated by the fish species. There are also size limits
Selling the fish you catch is prohibited
Using live bait in specific areas in Quebec is illegal
Transporting fish must follow strict preservation guidelines including record on size, weight, identification, and number

Top 3 Fishing Spots in Quebec

Although there are dozens of places to go fishing in Quebec, expert anglers vouch for these 3 fishing spots as the ideal place to go in Quebec:

The Grand Cascapedia River – Famous for giant Atlantic salmon

Mistassini Lake – The place to go to catch lake trout, big brook trout, pike, and walleye

St. Lawrence River – Perfect place to catch the muskellunge among many other fish species

Other places that are highly recommended are Fairmont Kenauk (trout), Jackson Lake, Otter Lake, and Lac Hebert Lake.
Some of The Fish Species in Quebec

Sea Lamprey
The sea lamprey is one of the few species unique to Quebec. It is special in the sense that it has no bones and can live in both fresh water and sea water. Since this species is known to suck the life out of Lake Whitefish and lake trout by drinking the blood of the fish, it is rigidly controlled to prevent upsetting the ecological balance of the lakes and extinction of other fish species.

Longnose Gar
The Longnose Gar is the only gar species found in Quebec. It is a predator with a long nose and large scales. It can survive in shallow and stagnant pools because it can breathe by going to the surface for air.

Lake Trout
Unable to survive in warm waters, the lake trout dives deep into the cold waters during the hot months and feeds on smaller fish like the Cisco, zooplankton, and invertebrates.

Northern Pike
A popular fish across Canada, Asia, the U.S., and Northern Europe, the pike will eat anything that moves in front of it including human feet and fingers.

Cisco
This species in commonly found in the cold waters of Quebec and while it feeds on zooplankton, it is the target of larger predators like the pike and lake trout.

Other species are the bowfish, brook trout, the endangered copper redhorse, channel catfish, American eel, smallmouth bass, burbot, the beautiful pumpkinseed, yellowperch, and the rock bass.