Mackerel fishing in Gaspésie: three wharves, and the catch came on the last day, in the rain

This whole trip started because our kid wanted to go mackerel fishing. When we looked for places where mackerel bite well, we kept landing on Gaspésie, the peninsula at Quebec’s eastern tip. So for four days we saw the sights by day and, whenever we could, stopped at a wharf nearby to drop a line. We fished three times, and each time turned out differently.

Start with the right gear

Before we left, we ordered a Sabiki rig with small flashers on Amazon, a line rigged with several hooks. When it arrived, the hooks turned out to be tiny.

On the afternoon of day two, we stopped at Canadian Tire in Paspébiac and bought mackerel gear all over again: etic Flutter Jigs, 15 g (about 0.5 oz), C$12.99 for a two-pack, two in blue and two in green. The 15 g jigs felt a little light, so we added a sinker. Mackerel shook off often, but this was the jig they bit best. I wish we had brought jigs from the start.

Grande-Rivière harbor: nibbles only

On the evening of day two, after watching the sun go down at the rock in Percé, we followed Route 132 southwest to the harbor at Grande-Rivière. It was our first fishing of the trip. Local kids showed us what they had caught. We got nibbles and nothing more.

Fishing from the wharves in Gaspésie is free, and you don’t need a Quebec fishing license (Tourisme Gaspésie). On summer evenings, locals walk out onto the wharves with buckets and rods.

Grande-Grave wharf in Forillon: the first fish

On the evening of day three, we went to the Grande-Grave wharf in Forillon National Park (Parc national Forillon), which the park points to as a fishing spot. We got there around 6:10 p.m., about an hour and a half before sunset, and plenty of people were already fishing off the end of the wharf. Fog covered the sea, and the sun looked round through the fog.

We fished until the sun went down and kept at it long after. Seals moved around near the wharf in the fog. Here we caught a small fish: the first of the trip, but not a mackerel.

Forillon National Park has its own rules, with lower limits on both mackerel and hooks (see the rules table).

Sainte-Anne-des-Monts wharf: mackerel in the rain

On the last day we left Gaspé, at the tip of the peninsula, and took Route 198 across to the north shore. We had heard Sainte-Anne-des-Monts was a good place for mackerel. When we reached the wharf a little after 2 p.m., it was raining fairly hard. We put on our rain gear and walked out.

People were fishing on the wharf despite the rain. Not long after we dropped our lines, the mackerel started coming up. Our kid caught several of them in the rain.

We spent about 45 minutes on the wharf. At 3 p.m. we were back in the car, heading for Montreal.

A three-day Gaspé tour from Montreal stops at the wind farm in Cap-Chat, next to Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, but fishing isn’t on the itinerary. To reach all three wharves, you need a car Rental cars →

Places to stay in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts (Expedia)

Grilled mackerel back home

We brought the mackerel all the way home. We got in during the early morning hours, and that same night we cleaned and grilled them.

Quebec saltwater fishing rules

Atlantic mackerel numbers have dropped sharply, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has managed the stock as being in the "critical zone" since 2011. The commercial mackerel fishery is closed. Recreational and Indigenous fisheries stay open, with limits on the daily catch and on gear (Fisheries and Oceans Canada). The minimum size was dropped in 2025 for a related reason: most small mackerel die even when released, so the idea is to keep what you catch and stop when you reach the limit.

Saltwater fishing in Quebec (mackerel, capelin and so on) doesn’t require a fishing license. Recreational mackerel fishing follows the rules below (Fisheries and Oceans Canada).

Item	Rule
License	Not required (saltwater, handline or rod)
Season	April 1–December 31
Daily limit	20 per person (including fish in possession)
Size	No minimum size in 2025–2026
Gear	Up to three hooks per line (2025–2026)
Inside Forillon National Park	Mackerel: 10 per day, including fish released; possession limit also 10 One hook or one treble hook per line (Parks Canada)
Salmon, trout	River fishing; a separate Quebec fishing license is required
Lobster	No recreational fishing

The rules change every year (as of October 2026: DFO recreational saltwater fishing in Quebec, 2025–2026 recreational mackerel notice, Parks Canada fishing in Forillon).

Pier fishing in Gaspésie

Gear and what to bring

Kids' rain jacket, cooler

FAQ

Do you need a license for mackerel fishing in Gaspésie?

No. It’s saltwater fishing, so no license is required. The catch and hook limits are in the rules table above.

What lure worked best?

For us, the blue and green 15 g flutter jigs did best. They were a little light, so we added a sinker.

Which wharf was best?

For mackerel fishing in Gaspésie, the Sainte-Anne-des-Monts wharf was the best for us: we caught several mackerel there on the last day. At Grande-Rivière we only got nibbles, and at Grande-Grave in Forillon we caught a small fish.

Can you fish in the rain?

We did. It was raining the day we caught our mackerel, and we went out on the wharf in rain gear.

Recap

Mackerel fishing in Gaspésie paid off on the last day, on a rainy wharf in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts. The first two outings didn’t land one.

Map

On the map below, Grande-Rivière is southwest of Percé, Grande-Grave is No. 7, and Sainte-Anne-des-Monts is on the north shore.

Sources

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada: recreational mackerel fishery 2025–2026 (Quebec)
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada: Atlantic mackerel 2025–2026
• Parks Canada: fishing in Forillon
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada: recreational pelagic fishery in Quebec
• Québec Outfitters Federation: fishing in Gaspésie
• Tourisme Gaspésie: sea excursions
• Tourisme Gaspésie: what to do in August