River Rainbow Trout

[laszlo]

Modified

Edited September 25, 2009 by laszlo

[kemper]

You won't get a 'run' of bows any time soon...and in that area you will be fishing mostly residents.

 

Also, no pinks around here...although I am not sure of the status of salmon runs on the grand I can tell you pinks just arent around

[wallacio]

You won't get a 'run' of bows any time soon...and in that area you will be fishing mostly residents.

 

Incorrect.

 

The Grand receives runs of migratory Rainbows (Steelhead) from Lake Erie. In fact, the area near the dam in Caledonia is a VERY popular spot to fish for Steelhead during the fall months. Steelhead actually run as high as the Paris area and will enter spawning tributaries such as Whitemans's Creek and even the Nith River.

 

Pay attention to the numerous special regs ie limit of 1 fish with a Sport license, 0 with a conservation as well as a no-kill, no bait etc section ("Exceptional Waters - where resident Rainbows can be found year-round) between Brantford and Paris (which includes the section of the river where the confluence with Whiteman's Creek is located).

 

As for Salmon, they are present in Lake Erie though certainly not in numbers which I would consider worth targetting (in the Grand anyway).

[laszlo]

Incorrect.

 

The Grand receives runs of migratory Rainbows (Steelhead) from Lake Erie. In fact, the area near the dam in Caledonia is a VERY popular spot to fish for Steelhead during the fall months. Steelhead actually run as high as the Paris area and will enter spawning tributaries such as Whitemans's Creek and even the Nith River.

 

Pay attention to the numerous special regs ie limit of 1 fish with a Sport license, 0 with a conservation as well as a no-kill, no bait etc section ("Exceptional Waters - where resident Rainbows can be found year-round) between Brantford and Paris (which includes the section of the river where the confluence with Whiteman's Creek is located).

 

As for Salmon, they are present in Lake Erie though certainly not in numbers which I would consider worth targetting (in the Grand anyway).

 

I thought so.

Thanks for the info.

 

I fished Whiteman's as a kid when I was living near Burford. It's a beautiful creek.

I don't think there are as many trout now as there once was. I personally don't keep the

fish I catch and never really have.

Back in the early 90's when I was 15, people use to leave there with 5 to 10 fish every time I went.

Now your lucky to get 1 or 2 and people still keep whatever they can get.

It's really too bad.

Edited September 25, 2009 by laszlo

[wallacio]

Sure, I've caught fish near the dam at Caledonia...it can be relatively productive and other than strays from the US, they tend to be large, wild fish which will kick your butt. Not my favourite place though - tends to get very crowded not the mention that you are fishing right near a dam. There are other spots on the river (which I won't name in a public forum) where you can fish for Steelhead but due to the size and lack of holding water, they are quite limited below Caledonia.

 

As for Whiteman's, I don't fish it much as I do most of my resident fly fishing closer to home. The overall feeling is that the numbers of small to medium sized Browns are down likely due to competition with Steelhead parr/smolts (Steelhead have only had access to Whiteman's for about 10 years since a dam was removed in Brantford). Before this, Browns were supposedly more numerous. That said, the big ones are still there as they have a great food source with all of those parr and smolts, you just have to modify your presentation in order to keep the young Rainbows off of your line (ie big streamers etc).

Edited August 26, 2009 by wallacio

[ironstone74]

Grand River Steel Steel 2008:

 

[/img]

[12pointer]

i have cought steel at the end of aug in calidonia,there are not big # but thay are there.All this rain and cool weather that we are going to start getting should get them movin.

[laszlo]

Grand River Steel Steel 2008:

 

[/img]

 

what time of year did you catch that beauty?

is it a waste of time targeting rainbows in sept. in the grand?

[timmeh]

is it a waste of time targeting rainbows in sept. in the grand?

 

 

The fall weather is important and it's hard to say now how the fishing will be. A warm, dry fall will delay the run, while a cool, wet one will bring them in. Steelheaders are very secretive and if they are catching them they won't even tell their own mother. If the weather is favorable give it a try, at worst you'll get a days fishing in

[lucabrasi]

Pay attention to the numerous special regs ie limit of 1 fish with a Sport license, 0 with a conservation as well as a no-kill, no bait etc section ("Exceptional Waters - where resident Rainbows can be found year-round) between Brantford and Paris (which includes the section of the river where the confluence with Whiteman's Creek is located).

 

Is the Wilkes Dam part of the special regs? It seems that the vast majority of people there are fishing with bait.

[wallacio]

Is the Wilkes Dam part of the special regs? It seems that the vast majority of people there are fishing with bait.

 

It is. Not surprising, lot's of people flaunt special regulations or are just ignorant of them. I fish the Upper Credit all of the time and find more than the odd empty worm container.

 

Here's a map (on page 2 of the link).

 

http://www.brant.ca/forvisitors/Exceptional_Waters.pdf

[Fish4Eyes]

Parked the boat infront of the dunnville dam last saturday and saw none jumping the dam. Water is warm as hell too.

[[email protected]]

It is. Not surprising, lot's of people flaunt special regulations or are just ignorant of them. I fish the Upper Credit all of the time and find more than the odd empty worm container.

 

Here's a map (on page 2 of the link).

 

http://www.brant.ca/forvisitors/Exceptional_Waters.pdf

 

Incorrect.

 

It is part of the exceptional waters, but there are not any special fishing regulations there.

 

The regulations apply up the dam around the corner to Paris, which is the edge of Brant Park.

[wallacio]

Incorrect.

 

It is part of the exceptional waters, but there are not any special fishing regulations there.

 

The regulations apply up the dam around the corner to Paris, which is the edge of Brant Park.

 

Whoops - you're right (got my bridges confused). The no bait, C&R section starts at the pedestrian bridge US of Brant Park (and US of Wilkes Dam). That said, the few times I've fished in the C&R section up near the confluence with Whiteman's I've always found evidence of people fishing with bait (roe bags, worm containers).

[CLofchik]

Up the river the season is more October unless there's a ton of rain in the next few weeks. I avoid Caledonia like the plague simply because I have bad mojo there, but there's a ton of water between York & the dam that will hold fish.

 

If you have a boat you can have a great afternoon if you hit them at the Dunnville dam, silver fiesty fish that stack up and are eager to smack.

[ch312]

at least 5 years ago i found a dead salmon on shore in brantford. i grew up 2 blocks from the grand river and that is the only sign ive seen of salmon that far up river.

[laszlo]

at least 5 years ago i found a dead salmon on shore in brantford. i grew up 2 blocks from the grand river and that is the only sign ive seen of salmon that far up river.

 

 

thanks

Edited September 25, 2009 by laszlo

[CLofchik]

They were never stocked in the Grand, so any salmon would be strays. There's always a few seen/caught every year but the numbers are too small to be really targeted.

[JFish]

No real numbers of salmon in the grand from my experience. I have only seen 2 caught and I got one of them. Took me forever to get in on light line. Everytime I thought I was going to get it out of the run it just took off right back in. I'm glad that there weren't many people fishing at that time because the fish was outta control.

 

JFish

[Rich]

Of course salmon run the grand.. but with countless miles of river and fish in numbers of probably less than 100 your chance of getting one is slim to none.

 

Steelheading can be alright if you hit it on a good day.. but there are much better spots than Caledonia dam.

[Jeff Wiles]

I fish Caledonia dam all the time for bows and cought 4 in one day. There was a young who took them up above the dam and let them go. Over the years I have cought Cohos,Kings,Browns and bows. If you ask me every year there is a run of all 4. I have cought and seen all 4 cought.

 

 

JW

[laszlo]

Of course salmon run the grand.. but with countless miles of river and fish in numbers of probably less than 100 your chance of getting one is slim to none.

 

Steelheading can be alright if you hit it on a good day.. but there are much better spots than Caledonia dam.

 

Let's all keep those good spots to ourselves and let most keep going to the damn.

Does make me happy when I go to my money spot with it all to myself.

[laszlo]

Well...I'll be giving it a shot this weekend. Might be a bit early for the Rainbows but I know the Salmon have been running

already for the past week. Worse case scenario - catch Smallies and Pickerle!!!

 

Going to camp out for one night on an island with an old buddy at a nice secluded spot I found last year.

 

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