HereFishyFishyWhen do salmon run in the Don River?
Chinook run up the Don in the fall, usually a little after the Humber, from late September into October. The river from Lake Ontario up to Eglinton Avenue is open all year, and from Eglinton to Hwy 407 until December 31. It runs through the middle of the city, and most of it is reached from parks and the Lower Don Trail.
The Don is an urban river. It rises fast after rain and drops fast, so the window after a storm is short. The app reads the Todmorden gauge and shows whether the flow is low, normal, prime or blown out today.
See today’s flow and conditions on the lower Don →The season on the Don
| When | What’s happening | Where you can fish |
|---|---|---|
| Late September – October | Chinook run, a little after the Humber | Below Eglinton, and Eglinton to Hwy 407 |
| November – Dec 31 | The run is over; a few late fish | Below Eglinton, and Eglinton to Hwy 407 |
| Jan 1 – the opener | Quiet | Below Eglinton only |
| Late April – summer | Few migratory fish | Below Eglinton, and Eglinton to Hwy 407 |
Lake Ontario to Eglinton Avenue, the Don and its tributaries: open all year for brown trout, rainbow trout and salmon.
Eglinton to the south side of Hwy 407: open from the fourth Saturday in April to December 31 (the extended fall season).
Zone 16 limits apply. Trout and salmon count together: up to 5 a day with a Sport licence, or 2 with a Conservation licence. Confirm the rules for Zone 16 in the current Ontario fishing regulations before you fish.
Below Eglinton: open all year
Todmorden Mills and Pottery Road
Free parking at the heritage site at 67 Pottery Road. The weir north of Pottery Road was rebuilt as a rock ramp so salmon can pass, and Chinook are often seen moving up through it. It’s busy with salmon watchers in the fall.
Crothers Woods
Park in the lot past the Loblaws off Bayview Avenue. Trails drop to the Lower Don Trail and the river between Pottery Road and the Forks of the Don. There’s less pressure than at Pottery Road, but the banks are steep in places.
E.T. Seton Park, West Don
A big park with parking off Thorncliffe Park Drive and off Leslie Street. The West Don runs through it from the Forks up to Eglinton, and salmon pass through on their way upstream.
Check today’s conditions below Eglinton →
Above Eglinton: open until December 31
Charles Sauriol, East Don
A small lot on Lawrence Avenue East (1191 Lawrence Ave E) that fills up on weekends. A flat trail follows the East Don, and salmon are seen here in October. TRCA has tracked Chinook about 20 km up the East Don, well above Lawrence.
Sunnybrook Park, West Don
Parking off Leslie Street just north of Eglinton. The West Don is smaller here and sees fewer anglers than the lower river.
Both are north of Eglinton, so the season closes on December 31 and opens again on the fourth Saturday in April.
Check today’s conditions above Eglinton →
Flow
The app reads the Water Survey of Canada gauge at Todmorden (02HC024). The Don’s watershed is mostly city, so rain runs straight off and the river can go from low and clear to brown and fast in an afternoon. It drops back within a few days. Below Eglinton the app calls 1.9 to 3.5 m³/s prime, the flow a few days after rain, and anything near 16 m³/s or more blown out.
Steelhead and the new mouth
Steelhead are rare and unreliable on the Don, so the app lists Chinook only here. For steelhead, the Humber and Credit are much better bets. The Don now reaches the lake through a new mouth in the Port Lands. The app doesn’t cover it yet.
Common questions
When do salmon run in the Don River?
Chinook run up the Don in the fall, usually a little after the Humber, from late September into October. Fresh fish move up on rising water after rain.
Can you fish the Don River in Toronto?
Yes. The Don and its tributaries from Lake Ontario up to Eglinton Avenue are open all year for trout and salmon. From Eglinton to the south side of Hwy 407 the season runs from the fourth Saturday in April to December 31.
Where can you fish for salmon on the Don?
Below Eglinton, Todmorden Mills at Pottery Road, Crothers Woods off Bayview Avenue, and E.T. Seton Park on the West Don. Above Eglinton, Charles Sauriol on the East Don and Sunnybrook Park on the West Don, until December 31.
Are there steelhead in the Don River?
Very few. Steelhead are rare and unreliable on the Don, so for steelhead the Humber, Credit and Rouge are better bets.
Read next
For timing on every Ontario river, see when salmon run in Ontario. The Humber, Toronto’s other salmon river, runs a little earlier than the Don.