Matane River


The Matane River is a river flowing in La Matanie Regional County Municipality, in administrative region of Bas-Saint-Laurent, on the Gaspé Peninsula, in the province of Quebec, Canada, which empties into the Saint Lawrence River at the city of Matane.
The river successively crosses the cantons: Le Clercq and Cuoq, Tessier, Matapédia, and Matane.

Geography

The Matane River originates from mountain streams on the western slope of the mont Blanc, located in the Leclercq township, in the Matane Wildlife Reserve. This source is located on the north side of the summit of Mont Blanc, to the southeast of the southeast coast of the Estuary of Saint Lawrence, northeast of the summit of Mont Craggy and from the mouth from the Matane River.
From its source, the Matane River flows over divided into the following segments:
Upper course of the Matane river :
Intermediate course of the Matane river
From the Lac Matane dam, the Matane river flows over:
Lower course of the Matane river
From the confluence of the Tamagodi River, the Matane river flows over:
The Matane River flows onto the northeast coast of the estuary of Saint Lawrence at the height of the town of Matane after a length of. Among its tributarys are the rivers à la Truite, Bonjour River, Duvivier River, Petite rivière Matane and the Petchedetz River.

Toponymy

The origin of the name "Matane", used for the first time by Samuel de Champlain in 1603 in the form "Mantanne" to name the river, is the subject of a dispute between the historians. Four different origins are advanced:
The river is very well known as an important Atlantic salmon sport fishery. This fishery
is highly regulated and restricted to fly fishing only. A daily permit is required to be purchased in addition to the Quebec provincial fishing license. All rules are strictly enforced to ensure the conservation and protection of this special salmon resource. Salmon permits can be obtained through the ZEC office in Matane. The river runs through a very scenic valley with a covered bridge, small farms and quaint villages on a section of Route 132.
There are over 70 named salmon pools on the river, and it is very popular destination during the summer months. One of the most famous salmon wet flies invented here, and still used locally as well as throughout the Gaspe region, is the Tiger Ghost. The Matane Special, also originally tied by the legendary George Maul of the village of St. Rene du Matane, halfway up the river, is a popular dry fly fished here as well.
Much of the upper river and the headwaters are included in a well-protected provincial reserve.
The Matane River provides an important spawning habitat for Atlantic salmon. There is a fish ladder at the Mathieu-D'Amours dam in city of Matane with an observation centre where migrating salmon can be viewed.