Fishing in Parc national des Grands-Jardins

Parc national des Grands-Jardins sits in the Charlevoix region of Quebec, roughly between Baie-Saint-Paul and the Saguenay River.

The park covers about 310 square kilometres of boreal plateau, and its waters drain through two main watersheds — the Rivière Malbaie and the Rivière Sainte-Anne-du-Nord.

More than 120 bodies of water are scattered across the terrain, from small étangs to lakes deep enough to hold fish year-round. What sets this park apart in Quebec is the fish.

The roughly sixty lakes open to fishing hold native speckled trout — brook trout — and the park is one of the rare places in the province where that's the exclusive catch. No stocked fish, no introduced species competing for the same water.

The fishing here is tied directly to the health of the boreal ecosystem around it. Wade fishing is possible on two rivers inside the park: the Rivière Malbaie and the Rivière des Enfers.

Both offer moving-water access to trout in a setting that feels removed from the road even when it isn't far.

The lake fishing is organized across four accommodation sectors, which shapes how anglers move through the park — access to specific lakes is often tied to where you're staying or launching from.

Because this is a Quebec provincial park managed under the Loi sur les parcs, the rules here are not the same as fishing outside park boundaries. Check with the park directly for current permit requirements and any sector-specific regulations before you go.

The fish population is what makes this place worth protecting, and the park manages it accordingly.