Did You Know

[esoxansteel]

Lake Simcoe was stocked with steelhead in 1918 when 20,000 were stocked in Broughs creek which flows into Lake Simcoe, and also at Atherley Narrows as well, also 1,200 rainbow trout were also stocked in Lake Simcoe in 1924, along with 5,300 more steelhead, they are more nomadic then its walleye population, returning in small numbers to some tributaries, I have seen them in the spring, on a trib on the west side, and I know they have been caught on the east side as well thru the ice and in some tribs. That was the first stocking and one of the few by MNR on an inland lake.

[Terry]

it is my understanding that they where in there naturally till they put in a damn and flour mill which blocked the only stream they spawned in and even though the mill is gone they never came back to spawn

[Freshtrax]

I was always curious why there were not more walleye in simcoe.. I have caught a few but it seems like i good habitat for them

[esoxansteel]

Just like Simcoes walleye you see them in the spring when they spawn, and occasionally catch them off the spawning rivers through the ice just before the season closes, I had talked to retired MNR biologist Dave Bell who confirmed this, and it is posted officially on the MNR website by DR. Steven Kerr, but in the lake, like walleye they are the preverbial needle in the haystack, and if you catch one in the lake buy a lottery ticket.

[John Bacon]

it is my understanding that they where in there naturally till they put in a damn and flour mill which blocked the only stream they spawned in and even though the mill is gone they never came back to spawn

 

Do you mean they were native to Lake Simcoe? Rainbow are a west coast fish; all populations of rainbow/steehead in eastern North America are introduced.

 

It is possible that there is, or was self sustaining populations from fish stocked long ago.

[richyb]

it is my understanding that they where in there naturally till they put in a damn and flour mill which blocked the only stream they spawned in and even though the mill is gone they never came back to spawn

 

 

I have seen a couple nice rainbows at that mill while smelt and sucker fishing quite a few years ago. My buddys dad has a mounted rainbow he got on simcoe about 15 years ago. I have also got a couple small ( 2-3lb) rainbows at the mouth of the creek but that was the year that a guy had the creek dammed off and stocked with bows up above the mill and was forced to remove the dam.