Top fishing spots in Ontario cities

Ottawa

The Rideau and Ottawa Rivers offer excellent fishing along bike and hiking trails, making them accessible.

Popular Ottawa fishing locations, including New Edinburgh Park, Eccolands Park, Petrie Island and Billings Bridge, hold panfish, walleye, muskie, pike, yellow perch and walleye.

Many of the smaller tributaries of the Ottawa and Rideau rivers offer excellent walk and wade fishing opportunities from city parks. The Jock River, for example, has a fishable smallmouth population that is accessible to the public.

Greater Toronto Area

The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) offers a remarkable urban fishery for the country's largest population.

For anyone looking to spend a couple of hours casting, the Toronto Harbourfront and nearby parks are accessible and fruitful. They hold populations of bass, panfish, carp and pike.

A quick ferry ride to the Toronto Islands will provide excellent family-friendly fishing opportunities. Worms under a bobber will be in front of panfish and bass, with the chance of getting pike or carp.

Grenadier Pond in High Park is similar to the islands, with family-friendly fishing opportunities.

For the more serious anglers, Toronto and the GTA offer excellent river angling for migratory salmon and trout within 30 minutes of downtown. The Credit River in Mississauga is well known for its run of salmon and steelhead. The chance of catching the brown trout of a lifetime is high in  Erindale Park. Erindale is a popular recreational area. It’s open for fishing year-round; fall and spring are best for migratory species. Smallmouth bass can be found during the summer.

The many piers and rocky points between Toronto and Oakville also provide excellent angling. During the late winter and early spring, rainbow trout will be in the shallows and can be caught with a spinner or spoon from shore. As fall and early winter approach, large browns and salmon come into the same water and can be taken similarly.

Fishing charter services from the GTA into Lake Ontario are numerous, and the success rate for salmon, steelhead, lake trout and brown trout is outstanding. In addition, with the recent reintroduction of Atlantic salmon, there is a good chance to strike that species from the bucket list.

Local tackle shops can provide further information on equipment and bait requirements. Despite urban development and population growth, Toronto and the GTA can be considered trophy fish locations.

Hamilton and Burlington

West of Toronto, the cities of Hamilton, Burlington and Oakville are close to each other with plentiful urban fishing opportunities in Lake Ontario, and inland rivers and waterbodies.

The rocky points and piers from Oakville to Grimsby offer excellent salmon and trout fishing in spring and fall. Great spots include Bronte Pier and Sheldon Creek Park in Oakville, Spencer Smith Park along the Waterfront in Burlington and 50 Point Conservation Area in Hamilton.

For boat angling, flatline trolling in the spring and fall can be productive along the shore between Oakville and Burlington. You just need a medium-to-heavy rod and a handful of spoons and spinners. Hamilton Harbour, Burlington Bay and Cootes Paradise, once known mainly as a carp fishery, have recently seen a strong walleye return. Boat launches are accessible.

Bronte Creek has long been a popular river for steelhead, brown trout and salmon. During the spring and fall, chances of catching these migratory fish are high.

Several Conservation Areas in the Halton Region permit fishing, making them perfect for family outings or day trips. Christie Lake, Valens, Fifty Point, Kelso and Mountsberg Conservation Areas are easily accessible from nearby cities and contain fish species ranging from panfish to trophy bass.

Kitchener and Waterloo

The cities of Kitchener and Waterloo boast one of Canada’s top rivers for angling opportunities.

The Grand River flows directly through the cities and holds a healthy smallmouth bass population within the city proper. While much of the river is wadable, canoe and kayak access points are numerous and easy to access. Although smallmouth are typically the targeted species, anglers can also find walleye, pike, carp and the odd brown trout through this stretch.

Despite being within the city, it is as picturesque as it is fruitful, and anglers consistently catch smallmouth in the two to four-pound range. Walleye and pike are also available in the Grand, and one of its major tributaries, the Conestogo River. Anglers enjoy fairly consistent fishing working the deeper pools and runs during the spring.

Kitchener and Waterloo also offer access to Conservation Areas and “Pay to fish” ponds. Lyndon Fish Pond is stocked annually with rainbow trout, has bait available and is easily accessible. Anglers can fish from shore and may choose to catch and release their trout or keep them for a fee.

In addition to fishing within the cities, within 45 minutes are some of the best fly fishing opportunities in southern Ontario. To the south, the town of Paris, also on the Grand River, has outstanding smallmouth fishing.

This stretch of river also holds a unique strain of wild rainbow trout that will stay in the river for up to three years before returning to Lake Erie. The trout fishing in the spring and the subsequent return of large steelhead in the fall between Paris and Brantford can be considered “Blue Ribbon” as the province deemed this 10-kilometre beat designated “Exceptional Waters” under a provincial program. To preserve this trophy-producing stretch of river, all fish, regardless of species, must be released. Also, only single, barbless hooks with no organic bait can be used.

The Kitchener and Waterloo area is also a great hub with close proximity to fishing opportunities in south and central Ontario, and the area boasts excellent fly fishing guides.

London

The city of London in southwestern Ontario is a surprising hidden gem, and the municipality takes recreational fishing seriously.

Between the Thames River, Conservation Areas and “Environmentally Significant Areas”, there is no lack of urban fishing opportunities.

Like many rivers in southern Ontario, the Thames River is a nice, feel-good story. Due to industrialization, nutrient overloading and other human influences, it wasn’t that long ago that it couldn’t be considered a viable urban fishery. After hard work at all levels of government, the Thames has been restored and now supports a healthy population of smallmouth bass, walleye and pike. The continued efforts of all involved make for a bright future for this historic system.

Sault Ste. Marie

Ernest Hemingway said of Sault Ste. Marie’s St. Mary’s River, “The best rainbow trout fishing in the world is in the rapids of the Canadian Soo.” Although this was long ago, the St. Mary’s River is still world-class.

Anglers travel to Sault Ste. Marie (the Soo) to experience this wild, brawling river and the hard-fighting fish. Rainbow trout, steelhead, chinook, coho, pink, Atlantic salmon and whitefish can all be found there at various times of the year. It is a unique experience that should be a bucket list fishing destination.

Sarnia

On the southern tip of Lake Huron, the border city of Sarnia has all the angling opportunities the big lakes offer, plus the St. Clair River.

With a wide variety of species, including salmon, steelhead, smallmouth bass, walleye, pike, muskie, perch and sturgeon, the St. Clair gives visitors a recreational option within the city.

Owen Sound

Another Lake Huron city, specifically Georgian Bay, Owen Sound is known for its open-water fishing for salmon, steelhead, lake trout and browns. You don’t need to travel far to find a bass or walleye lake. The city also has a productive little steelhead river right in town, the Sydenham River.

Ontario is home to top-notch urban fisheries in several cities perfect for local or travelling families and avid anglers.