Spate · Limestone · Québec (Gaspésie)

Bonaventure

Crystal-clear turquoise water of the Bonaventure River flanked by dense conifer forest in the Gaspé Peninsula, Quebec

Perhaps the clearest salmon river in North America — legendary visibility makes this the ultimate sight-fishing destination for Atlantic salmon.

Fair · Atlantic Salmon
Green Highlander · sizes 2 8
Fairlive now
A side-water session, not the main event
River high but settled. Tributary pocket water is the better play today.
75% confidence
What moved it
  • Level47.65 mLast reading 6h ago
  • Water temp16.6°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Green Highlander
Green Highlandersizes 2 8
River-specific pack, filled from the regional salmon default.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
47.65 m
Last reading 6h ago
Water temp16.6°C
ClarityClear
Weather16°C
WindE 19 km/h
Pressure1013 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead11.5 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Warm — slow
17°C est.ideal 10–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Morning into early afternoon.
Where
Pool tails, steadier runs, and any water with pace.
Method
Fish a sensible line-and-fly combination for the height and pace of water.
Kit
13 ft #8/9 double-hander in spate, 10 ft #8 single in low water. Floating line plus a fast-sink tip. 12–15 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Fair conditions based on river hydrology and migration patterns.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 12 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
1
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
1
Early Black StoneflyHatch
2
3
2
Eastern Golden StoneHatch
2
2
Slate Drake / IsonychiaHatch
2
3
3
3
3
2
Yellow SallyHatch
2
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Atlantic Salmon fly box
Beats · 8 · 2 reaches

The Bonaventure is not booked as one river — it is fished through eight numbered ZEC Bonaventure sectors, and the sector you can reach changes how you get on the water. Sectors A, C and D are open-access: buy the access right and fish, with no daily rod cap. Sectors B, B1, B3, B4 and E are limited and allocated by draw — a 1 November season draw plus a 48-hour advance draw — so you cannot simply turn up. Two things are always separate purchases: the annual Québec salmon licence, and the local ZEC access right for the sector you fish. Hold both. This is clear-water sight-fishing country, so rod numbers and stealth matter; sectors are listed below grouped by open access versus draw allocation. Pool-level detail is deliberately not enumerated here.

Open-access sectors (no draw) · 3 beatsDay rods
Sector A, Sector C, Sector D
The 3 beats
Sector APublic
ZEC Bonaventure
The lowest open-access sector — about 4.5 km of clear holding water with roughly ten named pools and no daily rod limit. Buy the ZEC access right (online or at the office) and fish; no draw needed.
Open-access sector: unlimited rods, but you still need both a Québec salmon licence and a ZEC Bonaventure access right — these are separate purchases. Fly-only, clear-water sight-fishing; large salmon are generally catch-and-release.
Sector CPublic
ZEC Bonaventure
A long open-access sector — around 12 km with roughly eleven named pools and no daily rod cap. One of the easiest sectors to plan around because access is by right rather than draw.
Open-access sector: unlimited rods. Québec salmon licence and ZEC access right are both required and bought separately. Fly-only; turquoise clear water rewards stealth.
Sector DPublic
ZEC Bonaventure
The longest open-access sector — about 14.5 km with roughly fifteen named pools and no rod limit. Upper-river clear water; access by right, no draw.
Open-access sector: unlimited rods. Hold both a Québec salmon licence and a ZEC access right — separate purchases. Fly-only sight-fishing.
Limited / draw-only sectors · 5 beatsDay rods
Sector B, Sector B1, Sector B3, Sector B4…
The 5 beats
Sector BBallot
ZEC Bonaventure
A limited sector of about 5 km with roughly thirteen pools, capped at a handful of rods a day and allocated only by draw — you cannot walk on. Rods are released through a 1 November season draw and a 48-hour advance draw.
Draw-access sector — not freely bookable. Allocation: 6 rods/day by 1 November draw; 4 rods/day by 48-hour advance draw. A successful draw still requires both a Québec salmon licence and a ZEC access right. Fly-only.
Sector B1Ballot
ZEC Bonaventure
A small limited sector of about 6 km with roughly twelve pools, holding only a couple of rods a day and allocated entirely by draw. No walk-on access.
Draw-access sector. Allocation: 2 rods/day by 1 November draw; 2 rods/day by 48-hour advance draw. Québec salmon licence and ZEC access right both required (separate purchases). Fly-only.
Sector B3Ballot
ZEC Bonaventure
A limited sector of about 5 km with roughly fourteen pools, draw-allocated and additionally date-restricted — fishable only on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 11 June to 30 September. No walk-on access.
Draw-access, date-restricted sector. Allocation: 4 rods/day by 1 November draw; 2 rods/day by 48-hour advance draw. Open Sun/Tue/Thu/Sat only, 11 June–30 Sep. Québec salmon licence and ZEC access right both required. Fly-only.
Sector B4Ballot
ZEC Bonaventure
A limited sector of about 5 km with roughly twelve pools, draw-allocated and date-restricted — fishable only on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11 June to 30 September. No walk-on access.
Draw-access, date-restricted sector. Allocation: 4 rods/day by 1 November draw; 2 rods/day by 48-hour advance draw. Open Sun/Mon/Wed/Fri only, 11 June–30 Sep. Québec salmon licence and ZEC access right both required. Fly-only.
Sector EBallot
ZEC Bonaventure
The uppermost limited sector — about 11.5 km with roughly nine pools, capped at a couple of rods a day and allocated by draw only. Remote upper-river clear water; no walk-on access.
Draw-access sector. Allocation: 2 rods/day by 1 November draw; 2 rods/day by 48-hour advance draw. Québec salmon licence and ZEC access right both required (separate purchases). Fly-only.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Québec salmon licence plus ZEC access or sector reservation required
  • Daily rod numbers are controlled and large salmon are generally catch-and-release.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Cascapédia (Grande)
37 km
Brook trout · Salmon
Petite Cascapédia
55 km
Salmon
Saint-Jean
98 km
Salmon
York
99 km
Salmon
Dartmouth
106 km
Salmon
Gallery · 2
  1. Crystal-clear turquoise water of the Bonaventure River flanked by dense conifer forest in the Gaspé Peninsula, Quebec
    The Bonaventure River's famously clear turquoise water, Zec de la Rivière-Bonaventure, Gaspésie, Québec
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Perhaps the clearest salmon river in North America — legendary visibility makes this the ultimate sight-fishing destination for Atlantic salmon. Limestone geology produces extraordinary turquoise water. Salmon average 5–8 kg with multi-sea-winter fish present. ZEC-managed public access with controlled daily rod numbers. Green Highlander, Blue Charm, and Bomber are standard box patterns. June–September fishing; July typically peak. The Bonaventure defines Gaspé clear-river salmon fishing. Atlantic salmon are managed under Québec's rivière system — mandatory catch-and-release of large salmon applies on most rivers, with limited grilse retention; check the river's current quota and rules before fishing.

  • Limestone
The full read · show the working · for Atlantic Salmon · confidence 75%
How the river scores — hydrology factors
Water heightMedium Ideal0.0
Recent riseNone0.0
Falling after liftNot Applicable0.0
Water temperatureCool To Moderate0.0
Time in seasonOpening Period0.0
ClarityClearing0.0
Hydrology base0.0
Legal gate: Unknown Check Local Rules
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 June → 30 September
  • Trout Last Saturday of April → 7 September
Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts