Trout Fishing Near Toronto: Tips From A Top River Guide

There is good trout fishing near Toronto and anglers are catching huge brown trout and rainbow trout less than 10 minutes from Downtown Toronto. There is also good brook trout fishing near Toronto if you know where to go.

Trout fishing near Toronto is as simple as fishing most rivers surrounding Toronto. There are dozens of streams only a short drive of Toronto where anglers can fish for trout and some are open to fishing year-round. Anglers can also fish the piers and the shoreline of Lake Ontario for migratory rainbow trout and brown trout.

Where To Try Trout Fishing Near Toronto?

There more than 20 places within a 60 minutes drive of Toronto that you can fish for trout. There are also plenty of places within 30 minutes where you can catch trout. The Humber River and its tributaries, the Credit River and its tributaries, the Rouge River, and Duffins Creek all offer good trout fishing near Toronto.

Fishing The Humber River For Trout

The Humber River enters lake Ontario less than 12 kilometers from downtown Toronto can be less than a 10 minutes drive.

This part of the lower Humber River gets runs of migratory rainbow trout which are known to many as steelhead and it gets runs of migratory brown trout.

In late winter, the steelhead will enter the Humber River just as the ice on the river starts to break up melt. This usually occurs between the end of February and mid-March.

As the water rises some steelhead will start their upriver migration and this is when anglers have the opportunity to catch some large rainbow trout.

The steelhead can be caught until about mid-May before they finally leave the river and head back to Lake Ontario.

The steelhead will return again in October and some large and small runs will occur until the river freezes up again in late December or January.

Migratory brown trout will start to move into the Humber river in September in small runs and anglers can catch brown trout all fall and winter. The numbers of brown trout are small compared to the number of rainbows.

There are many methods for catching migratory rainbow trout and brown trout in the Humber River. This is a big river so float fishing with Centerpin or spinning reels is popular. Casting lures is also a popular method.

There is also a good run of large salmon that enter the Humber River in the fall. Check out my page on Ontario Salmon for more information.

Fly fishing near Toronto is also very good on the lower and upper Humber River.

As of this writing, anglers are permitted to fish all year from Eglinton Avenue to Lake Ontario but check the Ontario Fishing Regulations before you go.

The upper sections of the East Humber River and the main Humber River can be good for trout fishing for brook trout and brown trout.

There are dozens of little creeks that run into the east Humber River and the Main Humber River and many of them will have brook trout in them. Some will also have rainbows and brown trout.

Trout Fishing Near Toronto – Access Spots On The Humber River

These are some of the best places to fish on the Humber River for trout, steelhead, and salmon.

• Etienne Brulé Park – One of the more popular spots to fish the Lower Humber River and a great spot to connect with steelhead, migratory brown trout, and salmon that have just entered the river. Also, a great place to watch the salmon try to jump the small dams. The Humber recreational trail runs along a huge stretch of the lower river providing lots of fishing access.
• Lambton Park – A little further up the Humber River with some great water to fish.
• Scarlett Mills Park – A nice park on the lower Humber River with great water for fishing both up and downriver.
• Raymore Park – Part of the lower park with good access fishing access to the Humber River
• Summerlea Park – The West Humber River enters the main Humber River here. This stretch can be good for holding fish and for warm water species like bass and carp.

Fishing The East Humber River

Another good trout fishing spot near Toronto is the East Humber River. Only a short drive out of downtown Toronto.

This is a smaller river than the main branch that has rainbow, brown trout, and brook trout in sections.

Steelhead and salmon also run up this stretch of river to spawn but this part of the river is only open during the regular trout season.

There are a few good parks along this stretch for fishing access. The further up the river you go the less city you see and the more it feels like a wilderness river.

This is a great river for fly fishing near Toronto and can be best when fishing in the spring or early mornings during the summer months. During late summer the further up the river you go the colder the water and the fishing can be better there.

You can access the East Humber River for fishing at:

• Boyd Conservation Park – Huge part of the river can be accessed here
• Bindertwine Park – Parking Lot

There may be other spots along the river at the bridge crossing that anglers can try.

Upper Humber River

The upper Humber River above the town of Bolton is a good areas to try for brown trout and brook trout.

This is a good spot for fly fishing near Toronto but is also good for spinning rods. if you plan to fish the Humber River you should be cautious of the sinkholes in the area that are often just below the gravel on the river bed. These sinkholes are soft whitish-grey clay and anglers can get stuck in them.

The Humber River was once a great brown trout river between Bolton and Palgrave, but the OMNR stopped stocking brown trout in this section and anglers have taken too many trout to eat, so the fishing can be more difficult now. It’s best to practice catch and release on the Humber River and all rivers to preserve the great fishing.

There is good access through the Humber Trail system and at these locations.

• Bolton Resource Management Tract
• Albion Hills Conservation Park
• Palgrave Forest and Wildlife Area Parking

A tributary called cold creek has brook trout in it and maybe the odd brown trout. Anglers can access it as Cold Creek Conservation area. Many of the small creeks in this upriver section are cold and may have brook trout and brown trout.

The Credit River

For good trout fishing near Toronto, you should try the lower Credit River in the City of Mississauga.

The lower Credit River gets a big run of steelhead and salmon as well as migratory brown trout. This is a bigger river and is suitable for spin fishing and Centerpin fishing. It is also a great spot for fly fishing near Toronto.

Anglers could catch Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, and Atlantic salmon in this stretch of river. There is also a year-round open season for rainbow trout from the highway 403 bridge to Lake Ontario. Always check the regulations before you go in case there has been a recent change.

There is also smallmouth bass, pike and carp in the lower section of the river.

The best access is at Erindale Park but there is also good access at:

• Credit Meadows Park
• Meadowvale Conservation Area – This is one of the better sections to fish.
• Elderado Park – Another great stretch of river.

NOTE: Steelhead and salmon can not get past the dam in Norval so fishing above that for steelhead and trout is a waste of time.

The Upper Credit River

The Upper Credit River is a great destination for trout fishing near Toronto. Although it’s about 60 minutes drive it can be well worth it.

The upper credit river has brook trout, brown trout, and rainbow trout and is a good area for fly fishing near Toronto.

There is a large portion of the upper Credit River from Inglewood to Orangeville that is a no-kill zone for trout and is also a single barbless-hook-only zone with no organic bait allowed. Make sure you check the fishing regulations for this part of the Credit River

Rouge River

The Rouge River sits just east of Toronto and can be a great spot for trout fishing near Toronto. The lower and middle sections of the Rouge River get runs of steelhead and salmon and is best fishing in the spring and fall.

The mouth of the river often a good spot to try in the spring and fall as the large rainbows and salmon enter the rivers.

There are good trails and access running along the river in this section.

For more information on access spots on this river check out my page

Duffins Creek

Duffins Creek splits into two nice little trout streams. This is a great spot for trout fishing near Toronto and is easily accessible at the many parks along the river.

There is a dam at Whitevale that can not be passed by the trout, steelhead, and salmon and there is brook trout above the dam.

Both rivers have brook trout, brown trout, steelhead, and salmon.

Other Trout Fishing Near Toronto

A short drive further and you could be on some really great trout rivers which include Bowmanville Creek, Wilmot Creek, the Grand River, and the Nottawasaga river and it’s many Tributaries.

For more about these and other great rivers check out my page The Best Rivers In Ontario For Trout And Steelhead.

Catch More Fish With Knowledge

Most Ontario trout are wild and are wise and hard to catch. Just because you know where to go for trout fishing near Toronto doesn’t mean you are going to catch any trout. In fact, most anglers catch very few trout when they go fishing, and as the top river guide in Ontario, I know why.

Simple things like the bait, the flies, your leader set-up, and even the thickness of your leader can either mean lots of fish or no fish. I watch other anglers around me catch nothing while my clients are catching plenty.

If you want to know what I use and you want to get better at fishing the rivers in Ontario you can check out my new trout and steelhead fishing blog website which is focused on fishing techniques and not on where and when to fish. see that at www.troutandsteelhead.net

You could also really up-your-game by hiring one of my skilled river guides at A Perfect Drift Guide Company.

Thank you for your time, I hope you enjoyed my post on trout fishing near Toronto.