Other Attractions

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Smallmouth bass (above) are plentiful in southern Ontario and offer an exciting alternative if the trout fishing slows.

The Grand River is the premier draw for anglers traveling to southern Ontario, but other rivers and species are attractions in their own right, and are a useful alternative if the Grand is "blown out" by rain or if throwing a popper for smallmouth bass seems like a good break from some "technical" Trico fishing. Special regulations on other rivers are detailed in the Ontario Fishing Guide, available where you buy your license. All these alternatives lie within 90 minutes driving time of the Fergus-Elora area.

Good trout fishing can be found on the Credit River, northwest of Toronto. This is a beautiful, intimate river flowing through some dramatic hills from Forks of the Credit to Inglewood. Wild brown and brook trout are the quarry, with brook trout more common above the Forks in both the East and West Credit. Between the Forks and Inglewood lies the Trout Unlimited Special Regulations water of the Credit. Another trout fishery is Whitmans Creek, near Paris, Ontario. This smallish tributary to the lower Grand River has resident brown and brook trout and special regs water as well, and is a major spawning area for steelhead running up the Grand.

Smallmouth bass fishing is excellent in several rivers in southern Ontario. The Grand, from below the cold-water trout areas all the way to the mouth of the river at Lake Erie, supports a good bass fishery. Another great warm-water river is the Maitland, which flows westwards to Lake Huron. This river may be the best kept secret of all, though it is well known among locals for its abundant smallies. Recently, I took out an English visitor--his first-ever smallmouth bass was over 20 inches, taken on a small popper! Also on the smallmouth list are the lower Saugeen and Bighead Rivers. Chartreuse Sneaky Pete poppers, Black Strip Leeches, and White Marabou Muddlers are favored patterns on all these rivers.

Migratory fish species from the Great Lakes, which almost encircle southern Ontario, include steelhead, chinook, coho, and pink salmon, and some Atlantic salmon. The Saugeen and Nottawasaga Rivers boast the biggest runs of fall and spring steelhead and fall salmon. The Ganaraska River, to the east of Toronto, also has heavy migratory runs but is outside the 90-minute driving radius from the Grand.

The lower Grand, from Paris to Caledonia, has a considerable steelhead run, as does the lower Credit River near Lake Ontario. New areas of special regulations have been implemented on the lower Grand between Paris and Brantford; barbless artificials, catch-and-release is required for all species in these waters.

Some steelhead and salmon also enter the warm-water Maitland on their way to spawn in cold water tributaries. Special seasons apply on many of these rivers, but typically the runs of steelhead are from March to May and mid-October to December. Pink salmon run most thickly in Lake Erie rivers in odd-numbered years. Chinook and the less common coho runs usually peak in late October. Atlantic salmon in the lower Credit River generally run in November. Grand Guides Co-op's River Reports cover steelhead and salmon fishing conditions in season, and local tackle shops can usually provide up-to-date information on runs and patterns for migratory salmonids as well.