The water level of the river varies with the seasons and the precipitation; the spring flood occurs in March or April.

[1] The Martine stream flows onto the northwest shore of the St. Lawrence River, on the "Pointe de la Rivière" (peninsula) in the hamlet Maillard, in the municipality of Petite-Rivière-Saint-François.

This river is designated "Rivière du Sault" (today "Ruisseau de la Martine") by the cartographer Joseph Bouchette, on his topographic maps of 1815 and 1831.

The acronym "Ruisseau du Sot" later becomes usage to designate this watercourse; this variant reflects the spelling used in Bouchette's time.

[2] The toponym "Petite rivière Saint-François" was formalized on August 17, 1978 at the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec.