When Do Steelhead Run in Ontario? River-by-River Timing
Steelhead follow the salmon in. On the Ganaraska and the other eastern tributaries the first fish arrive at the end of September. On the Credit, Humber and the rivers to the west it's October. Through the winter you can catch them sporadically on the reaches that stay open, and spring is good again around the trout opener at the end of April.
The timing, river by river
Steelhead don't have a single run the way Chinook do. They come in behind the salmon in the fall, keep trickling in through the winter on warm rains and thaws, and push again in spring. The timing is similar from river to river. The east end of the lake starts a little earlier, and the bigger difference between rivers is which water is legal to fish once September 30 has passed.
| River | First fish | Open all year | Open to Dec 31 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Lake Ontario: earliest | |||
| Ganaraska River Today → | Late September | Lake to the CNR bridge | Jocelyn St to the CNR, from Oct 15. Above Jocelyn St is closed all year. |
| Wilmot Creek Today → | Late September | Lake to the CN tracks | CN tracks to Hwy 2 |
| Bowmanville Creek Today → | Late September | Lake to the CNR bridge | CNR bridge to King St, including Baseline Rd |
| Central and western Lake Ontario | |||
| Duffins Creek Today → | October | Lake to the CNR | CNR to Hwy 2 |
| Rouge River Today → | October | Lake to Kingston Rd | Kingston Rd to Hwy 407 |
| Humber River Today → | October | Lake to Eglinton Ave | Eglinton Ave to Hwy 407 |
| Credit River Today → | October | Lake to Hwy 403 | Britannia Rd to Hwy 407. Hwy 403 to Britannia is closed Aug 15 to Dec 31. |
| Sixteen Mile Creek Today → | October | Lake to Lakeshore Rd | Lakeshore Rd to Hwy 407 |
| Bronte Creek Today → | October | Lake to Lakeshore Rd W | Lakeshore Rd W to Hwy 407 |
Above Hwy 407 on the Credit, Humber, Rouge, Sixteen Mile and Bronte, and above Hwy 2 on the Durham creeks, the trout and salmon season ends September 30. Steelhead are up there in the fall too, but you can't fish for them. The reaches in the last column close on January 1 and reopen on the trout opener in April.
The table gives you the season. For today, you need flow and water temperature, and the conditions tool only ranks access points that are open on your date.
Check live conditions for your river →Fall: steelhead follow the salmon
Steelhead come into the rivers behind the salmon and feed on their eggs, so the start of the steelhead season overlaps the end of the salmon run. On the Ganaraska and the other eastern tributaries that's the end of September. Further west, on the Credit, Humber and Bronte, it's October.
Late October and November are the best of the fall, while the water is still above about 5°C and the fish are fresh and willing to move to a bait. Like the salmon, they push upriver on rising water, so the day or two after a good rain is the time to go.
One November on the Credit I fished three spots before I found them. The first two gave me nothing. At the third I hooked two, lost one and landed one. If a spot has had a fair number of good drifts and nothing has happened, move.
Winter: fewer fish, deeper water
From December the fishing gets sporadic. Steelhead are still in the rivers and more come in on every warm rain or thaw, but they move less and take less. On January 1 the extended reaches close, so winter fishing happens on the all-year lower reaches in the first column of the table.
The most common mistake I see in winter is fishing too shallow and too fast. When the water is cold the fish are down deep and barely moving. Set the float deep enough that the bait drifts within about two feet of the bottom, hold it back so it moves slower than the surface, and give each piece of slow, deep water more drifts than you would in October. The winter steelhead guide covers where they sit as the water drops and the setup I use.
Spring: around the opener
Spring is the other good window. Fish that spent the winter in the rivers are joined by fresh ones from the lake, and they push upriver as the water warms. Around the trout opener at the end of April is a good time to be out.
Until the opener, only the all-year lower reaches are open. The opener is the fourth Saturday in April (April 24 in 2027), and that morning the extended reaches in the second column reopen. On the Credit that includes the Hwy 403 to Britannia stretch, which has been closed since August 15.
Boundaries are roads and rail lines, and a few hundred metres can be the difference between open water and a sanctuary. The two that catch people in the fall:
- Credit River: Hwy 403 to the Britannia Rd bridge is closed August 15 to December 31.
- Ganaraska River: Jocelyn St to the CNR bridge is closed September 1 to October 14, and above Jocelyn St to Hwy 401 is closed all year.
Confirm the rules for Zones 16 and 17 in the Ontario fishing regulations before you go.
Read next
For where the fish sit in a pool and how to read the water, start with where steelhead hold in a river. For cold water, the setup and baits, see late fall and winter steelhead. Live conditions for one river are on Credit River steelhead today, and the salmon that come in first are covered in when salmon run in Ontario.
Frequently asked questions
Every river page shows today's flow against its normal range and an estimated water temperature.
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