HereFishyFishyWhere to trout fish in Ontario after September 30
On September 30 trout season closes on most rivers in southern Ontario. Brown and rainbow trout stay open on named lower reaches of the Great Lakes tributaries, some until December 31 and some all year. Brook trout close everywhere.
Brook trout: closed in every river in Zones 16 and 17 from October 1 until the opener on April 24, 2027. Brown and rainbow trout: open on the lower reaches in the table below. In the fall, most of the trout in that water have come in from the lakes: steelhead and lake-run browns.
Brook trout: closed until April 24, 2027
Brook trout season in Zones 16 and 17 runs from the fourth Saturday in April to September 30. The regulations keep some lower reaches open later, but those exceptions name Atlantic salmon, brown trout, Pacific salmon and rainbow trout. Brook trout aren’t on the list, so they close on September 30 even where browns and rainbows stay open. The one all-year brook trout water in Zone 16 is Bells Lake, and it’s a lake.
It’s illegal to fish for a species while its season is closed, even if you plan to release it. If you hook a brook trout by accident on water that’s open for other trout, put it straight back.
Brown and rainbow trout: where it’s still open
The reaches below are open for brown trout, rainbow trout (steelhead included) and salmon. Everything upstream of them closed on September 30. Boundaries are roads, bridges and rail lines, so know which side of the line you’re standing on. “Live” opens today’s flow and conditions for that river.
| River | Reach | After Sept 30 |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Ontario, west and Toronto (Zone 16) | ||
| Credit | Hwy 403 to the lake | Open all year Live |
| Hwy 403 to Britannia Rd | Closed Aug 15 to Dec 31 (sanctuary) | |
| Britannia Rd to Hwy 407 | Open to Dec 31 | |
| Above Hwy 407 | Closed. Old Baseline Rd to Hwy 9 (the Forks) is a sanctuary Oct 1 to Dec 31 | |
| Sixteen Mile (Oakville) | Lakeshore Rd (Hwy 2) to the lake | Open all year Live |
| Lakeshore Rd to Hwy 407 | Open to Dec 31 | |
| Above Hwy 407 | Closed | |
| Bronte | Lakeshore Rd W (Hwy 2) to the lake | Open all year Live |
| Hwy 2 to Hwy 407 | Open to Dec 31 | |
| Above Hwy 407 | Closed | |
| Humber | Eglinton Ave to the lake | Open all year Live |
| Eglinton Ave to Hwy 407 | Open to Dec 31. Trout limit S-2, C-1 combined | |
| Above Hwy 407 | Closed Oct 1 to Dec 31 (sanctuary) | |
| Rouge | Kingston Rd (Hwy 2) to the lake | Open all year Live |
| Kingston Rd to Hwy 407 | Open to Dec 31 | |
| Above Hwy 407 | Closed | |
| Lake Ontario, east (Zone 17) | ||
| Durham Region creeks (Duffins, Bowmanville, Wilmot and others) | CNR tracks to the lake | Open all year Live |
| Hwy 2 to the CNR tracks | Open to Dec 31 | |
| Above Hwy 2 | Closed | |
| Ganaraska (Port Hope) | CNR bridge to the lake | Open all year Live |
| Jocelyn St to the CNR bridge | Closed Sept 1 to Oct 14, then open to Dec 31 | |
| Hwy 401 to Jocelyn St | Closed all year (sanctuary) | |
| Above Hwy 401 | Closed | |
| Other Northumberland County creeks | Below Hwy 2 | Open to Dec 31. Cobourg Brook and Gages Creek are open all year below the CNR, except Cobourg Brook from the lamprey barrier down to King St, which is closed all year |
| Georgian Bay, Lake Huron and Lake Erie (Zone 16) | ||
| Nottawasaga | Boyne River to Georgian Bay | Open all year. Rainbow trout catch and release from the Boyne to the Pine River Live |
| Beaver (Thornbury) | Thornbury Dam to Georgian Bay | Open to Dec 31 Live |
| Saugeen | Brockton Concession 2 sideroad bridge to the concrete abutments below Denny’s Dam | Open to Dec 31. No night fishing at Denny’s Dam in October Live |
| Grand | Paris (100 m below the Hwy 2 bridge) to Brantford | Open to Dec 31. Artificial lures, one barbless hook, brown and rainbow trout catch and release Live |
| Brantford to Lake Erie | Open to Dec 31. Brown and rainbow trout S-1, C-0 from Oct 1 | |
| Penman Dam to the William St bridge, Paris | Closed Oct 1 to Nov 30 (sanctuary) | |
| Above Paris, including Fergus and Elora | Closed | |
This table follows the 2026 Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary. Limits here are S (sport licence) and C (conservation licence). Read the exact wording for your reach in the current Ontario fishing regulations, and watch for posted signs. If you pick a closed reach in the conditions tool, it points you to an open one on the same river.
What you’ll catch in that water
Most of the water that stays open is the migratory end of each river. From October on it holds steelhead, which are rainbow trout that live in the lake, and on many rivers lake-run brown trout. Salmon are there too until they spawn out. For timing and tactics, see when steelhead run in Ontario and late fall and winter steelhead.
River-resident trout are harder to find after September 30. On the Credit, the stretch with resident browns and rainbows that stays open is Britannia Rd to Hwy 407. Below Britannia is a sanctuary until December 31, and Norval is above the 407, so check exactly where you are. On the Grand, the water below Paris is open to December 31 with the gear and catch-and-release rules above.
When does trout season open again?
The fourth Saturday in April, which is April 24, 2027. Brook trout, resident browns and rainbows on the upper reaches, and the extended-season reaches open that day. A few sanctuaries stay closed into May, so check your reach. The all-year reaches never close.
Check the water before you drive
Live flow and water temperature for Ontario trout and steelhead rivers, with open reaches and access points ranked for your date.
Find today’s best spotCommon questions
Can you fish for brook trout in Ontario in October?
Not in the rivers of southern Ontario's Zones 16 and 17. Brook trout season runs from the fourth Saturday in April to September 30, and the reaches that stay open later are open for brown trout, rainbow trout and salmon only. It is illegal to fish for brook trout while their season is closed, even if you release them.
Where can I fish for trout in Ontario after September 30?
On the lower reaches of Great Lakes tributaries named in the regulations. In the GTA that means the Credit below Highway 407 (except Highway 403 to Britannia Road), the Humber, Rouge, Bronte and Sixteen Mile below Highway 407, and Durham Region creeks such as Duffins, Bowmanville and Wilmot below Highway 2. Brown and rainbow trout are open there. Brook trout are not.
When does trout season open in 2027?
On the fourth Saturday in April, which is April 24, 2027.
Is the Upper Credit River open after September 30?
No. The Credit above Highway 407 closes for trout on September 30, and from Old Baseline Road to Highway 9, which includes the Forks of the Credit, it is a fish sanctuary from October 1 to December 31.
Is the Grand River open for trout in the fall?
Below Paris, yes, until December 31. From Paris to Brantford only artificial lures and one barbless hook are allowed, and brown and rainbow trout must be released. Above Paris, including Fergus and Elora, trout season closes on September 30.
Sources
- Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources: 2026 Fishing Regulations Summary. Open seasons and closed-season angling, p. 13. Zone 16 seasons, species exceptions, waterbody exceptions and sanctuaries, pp. 117 to 124. Zone 17, pp. 127 to 129.
- Flow data: Water Survey of Canada · Weather: Open-Meteo