Trout Seasons

[heri0n]

Hi guys,

 

Could you tell me what are the seasons for the different types of trout? I'm located in Burlington... so around the Bronte area

[ptmpete]

http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/LetsF...L02_163615.html

[heri0n]

Yes, I know of this list. I was wondering more of what seasons are good for catching them as opposed to when you are allowed to...

[BillM]

You'll most likely have better luck in the spring when the water temps are still low. When the water warms up, you'll want to fish closer to the headwaters (cooler water)

[heri0n]

BillM, are you referring to all types of trout?

So is now a good time ? It's still technically spring... but pretty warm now.

The other thread says the rainbow trout season is pretty much done..

[BillM]

BillM, are you referring to all types of trout?

So is now a good time ? It's still technically spring... but pretty warm now.

The other thread says the rainbow trout season is pretty much done..

 

I was referring more to residents,(browns, brookies) not dropbacks.

 

Now is a great time to grab some worms a few small spinners and hit your local stream, just tread lightly

[MJL]

Generally speaking, there really is no best time to catching trout. It really depends on what species you’re targeting, how far you’re willing to drive away from home to fish, whether you have a boat or not and whether or not you’re willing to brave the elements while searching for them.

 

In winter, you can catch steelhead (migratory rainbow trout) in the rivers when they’re open and relatively free of ice – many rivers have an open year round section where you can legally fish for them before the official trout season opens. You can ice fish the lower stretches and estuaries of rivers for steelhead too provided the ice is safe enough to fish on (I've only done this twice in my life so I can’t help you very much on this). You can ice fish for brook trout and lake trout in lakes that have a season for them (if there are any nearby).

 

In spring, before the trout season opener, you can fish for steelhead in the year-round sections of rivers while they're running upstream to spawn. When temps warm up just enough, lake-run browns cruise close to harbours and piers and a few swim up the rivers along with the steelhead. On opening day of trout season, rivers from the headwaters down to the mouth are fair game (provided they aren’t sanctuaries or on private property). You can fish for the resident browns and brookies in the upper stretches of the rivers after opener. The resident fish stay up in the upper stretches year round but the season (when you can fish for them) in most cases goes from the end of April to the end of September. If you can find a lake with brook trout in it, that's another option too (contact the ministry for a stocking list for your area and see if any trout have been stocked nearby)

 

In summer when the migratory rainbows have returned to Lake Ontario, you can fish for them in the deep blue if you have a boat suitable enough for big water – Hire a charter boat for the day if you don’t have your own. You can also fish for Lakers out there too. Find a section of stream in the headwaters of nearby rivers and hunt down the resident brook and brown trout (sometimes also resident rainbows if they're around) - I haven't done much fishing for the residents but I heard it can get a little tougher to get them as the season progresses.

 

In fall when the season on the resident trout closes, you can fish for the fall runs of steelhead and lake-run brown trout which migrate upstream from Lake Ontario (usually after the salmon run up). The browns spawn in the fall and usually head back to the lake when winter comes around (some stay through till spring though). Steelhead will hold in the river throughout the winter till spring when they spawn. I also used to see the odd laker come into the rivers too, along with the steelhead & browns but haven’t seen any for quite some time in my local rivers…Usually caught out of season though.

 

Some guys I know only fish for trout throughout the year and nothing else. 4 seasons of pretty good trout fishing is possible.

 

Hope this helps

[heri0n]

I don't have a boat... and I'm just a newbie so I hope a can catch some trout in the rivers before it gets too warm! Thanks for that very long and informative post!