Credit River steelhead, today
Steelhead come into the Credit in October, behind the Chinook, and November is a good month. Through the winter they can be caught sporadically on the lower river below Hwy 403, which stays open all year, and spring is good again around the trout opener at the end of April. Unlike Chinook, steelhead get the whole river. They swim as far as the Streetsville dam, then Credit River Anglers Association volunteers lift them through the fishway and truck them 30 km north past Norval. When CRAA rebuilt the ladder entrance in 1997, the share of steelhead finding it went from 10 to 20% to 99.5%.
How to fish it
Float fish roe bags, beads or a worm through the deeper pools and runs. The most common mistake, especially once the water gets cold, is fishing too shallow and too fast. Steelhead sit deep and barely move in winter, so set the float so the bait drifts within about two feet of the bottom and slow the drift down. Expect to move, too. One November on the Credit I fished three spots before finding fish: nothing at the first two, two hooked and one landed at the third. Spring fish are more willing to take nymphs dead-drifted through feeding lanes.
Streetsville Road Allowances isn’t listed, because part of that reach is below the Britannia Road bridge, inside the Hwy 403–Britannia sanctuary closed August 15 to December 31, which covers most of the fall steelhead run. Erindale Park is downstream of Hwy 403 and open year-round. Confirm the current rules in the Ontario fishing regulations for Zone 16 before you fish.
Access points
- Erindale Park, Mississauga, ON
- Credit River Mouth, Port Credit, ON
Read next
For timing on every Lake Ontario river and which reaches stay open after September 30, see when steelhead run in Ontario. For cold-water technique, the setup and baits, see late fall and winter steelhead.
For the river as a whole, including the three sections, the two dams and why the stretch you pick matters more here than anywhere, see fishing the Credit River. Timing for every Ontario river is in the river-by-river salmon run guide, and for the drift itself, three float fishing tips.