Rivière-aux-saumons
The Rivière aux Saumons flows north from Anticosti Island for 52 kilometers. It flows into Broom Bay after dropping more than 200 metres from its source on a continental divide.
Although it is one of the island's only dark-coloured rivers, Rivière aux Saumons is exceptionally transparent. Its bed is mostly rock and pebbles. It contains 10% of the island's salmon spawning grounds and, along with the Rivière de la Chaloupe, 20% of potential adult salmon habitat.
Like most rivers on Anticosti Island, its flow fluctuates widely. After a few days without rain, its level drops significantly. The salmon are then trapped in the deepest pools and are very inactive. But as soon as it rains, the river takes on a light hue, and the salmon remaining in the estuary can begin their journey to the spawning grounds.
The rivière aux Saumons is distinguished by its magnificent limestone escarpments, which sometimes force the angler to fly in the direction of the river. The river's ever-changing topography flattens out further downstream. The outfitter Safari Anticosti holds exclusive fishing rights to some 30 km of river from its mouth. Wade fishing is available in one of 16 pools on the outfitter's territory, out of a total of 36 pools accessible to salmon.
