Off-Grid: Quebec Wildlife Reserve 2024

Chasing Musky at Latitude 47

Jul 10, 2024

Actually, we chased muskellunge at these precise coordinates:

(click on those latitude/longitude coordinates to open a map of the spot).

The yellow dot indicates our cabin’s location.

On July 4th week, my son and I drove five and half hours north to Réserve faunique de Portneuf, one of Quebec’s wildlife reserves.

Sepaq, the governing entity of this wildlife reserve, manages 46 properties within Quebec.

“Sepaq” is an acronym for “The Société des établissements de plein air du Québec”.

Quebec’s vast, rugged landscape and unspoiled remote lakes and ponds inspired this trip. As my readers know, I’m fascinated by Quebec’s size, environment, and extractive industries.

Our objective for this trip was to catch muskellunge (“musky” for short), an elusive freshwater fish capable of achieving a weight of over 50 pounds and closely resembling pike. Closer to home, they exist in Lake Champlain, and the Missisquoi River, but the population is struggling. Recent efforts to repopulate the musky population have had some success.

Getting There

It was a 5.5-hour door-to-door trip from Underhill, VT, to the Desrochers Cabin. The last hour of the drive was remote, on a rough gravel road, with logging trucks and trucks carrying sedan-size pieces of granite from a nearby quarry.

There’s no cell service.

Cabins

The cabins are basic and clean, with solar electricity and natural gas for cooking. This cabin can comfortably sleep eight people. There is working plumbing (one bathroom and a shower) with non-potable water. A wood stove, firepit, and porches round out the accommodation.

This cabin was about ten feet from Lake Desrochers and a dock.

The boat with our motor tied up to the dock.

Hunters, fishermen, and recreators use these cabins spring through fall.

In this location, a ranger lived nearby. In other Sepaq wildlife reserve locations I’ve stayed in that didn’t have staff nearby, the park provides a radio for contacting the office in case of an emergency.

Gear

The cabin has four kayaks and two 12-foot fiberglass boats for guests. You can use the oars, rent an outboard motor to place on the boat, or bring your own (which is what we did).
Fishing rods
2.5 Horsepower Yamaha Outboard engine that can be placed on each boat we used.
Garmin InReach for just-in-case situations.

How the Sepaq System Works

When we booked this cabin, we booked it as a stay-and-fish for musky “package.” Without getting too much into the nuances of Canadian/Quebecois fishing regulations, this is how fishing works within the wildlife reserve:

You need a Quebec fishing license.
When we bought the stay/fish package, we bought access to several lakes that were exclusive to us.

We had a handful of undeveloped lakes to choose from each day, and these options changed depending on the day of the week. Two 12-foot fiberglass boats were waiting for us when we arrived at each lake. We’d then put the outboard motor on the stern and go.

Out on the Water

This video shows what much of the terrain looks like:

It isn't easy to find undeveloped lake shores in the northeastern US, but there’s an abundance of them in Quebec. The spruce-lined shores are beautiful, and we saw plenty of moose sign, whitetail deer, and loons.

This is an actively managed, multiple-use area where hunting, fishing, recreation, and resource extraction occur. Zoom in and out on the map's satellite imagery, and you’ll see evidence of various stages of logging. Besides the occasional logging truck, it’s not as apparent on the ground.

Species

Often referred to as the fish of 10,000 casts, we had good luck catching muskies after a couple hundred.

They are great fighters and a thrill to catch, and even though you can technically keep two per day, we released them all. This wasn’t a situation where we caught a fish every cast, and in some of the lakes, we didn’t catch anything. But that’s also what we expected since the musky is known to be a tricky fish to catch.

Fishing Gear

We brought our everyday freshwater rods with a ten-pound test monofilament line and caught all muskies on spoon lures, notably the Dardevle Imp (2/5oz). Musky are known for their sharp teeth and the ability to break or bite through fishing lines. Though prepared with various other lures, leaders, lines, and rods, we did not need them.

Would I Go Again?

Yes, though I will explore other areas of Quebec before returning to this exact location. The Sepaq staff are helpful over the phone and in person. The cabins are clean and actively maintained. At night, this is one of the quietest places I’ve been; there’s no ongoing engine noise or distant drone of a highway. That’s often a good barometer of a wilderness setting and whether I’ll return.

Essentials for Going

Réserve faunique de Portneuf Website (there’s an English language option accessible through the menu).
The Sepaq Wildlife Reserve website contains a user-friendly map of all wildlife reserves.
Map of Sepaq’s wildlife reserves.

Please get in touch with me if you need more information or have questions about planning your trip to Réserve faunique de Portneuf. I’m happy to share more about my experience and suggestions for your adventure.