Has anyone fished in the Don River before

[Guest Fishing For Life]

Hi guys,

 

just realized that there is a river called "Don River" close to where I live!

 

Has anyone fished there?

what kinda fish should I expect?

where are access points?

 

Thanks

[gone_fishin]

everytime i go downtown toronto i wonder the same thing... i wouldn't imagine many fish could survive in that polluted river... i don't know what it's like further north however... the bottom section, down by the DVP and the Gardiner is bad!

[urbanangler1990]

maybe hoffa?

[Bojangles]

There's fish to be had there.. just don't fish too deep you'll snag up on a body...

[danbo]

Don't smoke near it either, the river will catch on fire!

You must be really new to fishing.

Stick to the Conservation areas, or Kawarthas,or Quinte etc

Trent-Severn waterways & dams.

Edited May 31, 2008 by danbo

[Clampet]

Shopping carts, bicycles, tires.

[forrest]

There is a group trying to revitalize the Don. Probably not a good idea to fish it right now even if you do find the fish.

 

Then why not make it a fishing sanctuary? Who in their right mind is going to fish it?

 

forrest

[danbo]

http://donwatcher.blogspot.com/2006/09/salmon-in-don.html

[PatrickGG]

Don't underestimate the Don River, There is resident rainbows and other species of fish there.

[danbouck]

[danbo]

[Victor]

i have never fished any of it myself ... but i'd imagine that it would be quite different between the downtown stretch and the uptown one ... the downtown stretch is dirty as hell ... might find carp there, who knows, they swim in anything ...

[Rizzo]

crayfish?

[jat]

Ebola fish!!!!!!!!

[Photoz]

The salmon make it all the way up the Don to Steeles Avenue & Bayview in September, (I've seen 'em, I deliver mail up there) not sure why? I did actually see a post a while back that there had been plans to plant several thousand up near York Mills Road, since (to the best of my knowledge,) these fish ONLY go back to where they were released, my guess would be that the salmon WERE actually released into the Don? IF salmon go up there . . . why wouldn't trout?

[gone_fishin]

well, as far as i know, the trout poplation in Lake Ontario is self-sustaining... if the rainbows (steelhead) can't reproduce in a river (if that is the case in the Don - i'm just hypothesising a possibility), there will be less and less of them from year to year. the salmon are a give and take fishery on Lake Ontario, and i beleive the survival rate during the spawn is somewhere around 2%. so those fish (salmon) must be stocked in there yearly.

[kentooley]

Check this out. :lol

 

 

Toronto Life

Search:

 

May 31, 2008

 

Urban decoder

 

I recently noticed someone fishing in the Don River, near the Pottery Road bridge. Wouldn’t it be a death wish to eat a Don fillet? —Biagio DiMarco, Scarborough

Posted on May 1, 2003

 

Believe it or not, fish from the Don are edible. Every year, the Ontario ministries of the environment and natural resources test fish throughout the province for such toxic chemicals as mercury, PCBs and dioxins. And yes, scientists pronounced catch from the river’s fetid waters—largemouth bass, rock bass, brown bullhead and pumpkinseed—dinner-worthy. In areas of the upper Don in North York, several species—including whopping two-foot carp—are considered safe for up to eight meals per month. Even the 18-inch white suckers from around Pottery Road can make it to your kitchen table. Be advised: three-headed fish are best thrown back. Otherwise, bon appétit.

 

* Categories: Environment

[Guest Fishing For Life]

Thanks for all the replies, awesome info.

 

The only way to find out is to fish salmon this year!

I will keep you guys updated

 

However, I still need to know where to get down to the river

 

Thanks

[jace]

your kitchen table. Be advised: three-headed fish are best thrown back. Otherwise, bon appétit.

 

 

the general rule of thumb applies to the don as well....2 heads is the cutoff

[Rich]

The upper reaches of the Don really do look good and I wondered the same thing driving past a few times. Then I took a look at the lower reaches and slapped myself in the head for wondering such things.

[GBW]

If you are in Thornhill you have a lot of better places to go then the Don... LOL!

[gone_fishin]

The upper reaches of the Don really do look good and I wondered the same thing driving past a few times. Then I took a look at the lower reaches and slapped myself in the head for wondering such things.

 

hahaha. I've done the same thing. after seeing at the lower stretches i can't imagine fishing that river, after all, those fish have to travel through the lower stretches to get to the cleaner (looking) water in the upper parts.

[ehg]

The upper reaches of the Don really do look good and I wondered the same thing driving past a few times. Then I took a look at the lower reaches and slapped myself in the head for wondering such things.

Thought the same thing but actually tried fishing by the falls near Pottery Rd.

I caught a few small chubs. The river kinda smelled and looked murky,

probably one of most unpleasant fishing experiences. There were bums living under a bridge,

a mass of cars crawling down the DVP and the fishing sucked. I don't think i'll go back.

[kentooley]

Measures to improve the health of the Don River have been ongoing for many years. The Don Report Card, released in September 2003, outlined our current assessment of the health of the Don River. Staff at Toronto and Region Conservation are encouraged by the presence of other fish species in the Don, including a juvenile walleye. Since young walleye aren’t known to travel far, it is believed that the fish was hatched in the Don River. Three adult walleye were also collected.

 

“As continual efforts are made to rehabilitate the Don River, finding walleye, which are rarely seen in the Toronto area, is a good sign.” says Adele Freeman, Acting Director, Watershed Management, Toronto and Region Conservation.