Credit River brown trout, today
The Upper Credit is one of Southern Ontario's best wild brown trout fisheries. The river runs cold year-round through the Niagara Escarpment gorge, holding resident browns from Cataract down through Belfountain. Best action is April through June on nymphs and dry flies, and again in September as the water cools.
How to fish it
Fish the seams at the head of pools in the morning before the sun hits the water. Hendrickson hatches in late April and early May bring fish to the surface. In summer, switch to a dropper rig with a small nymph off a dry fly.
Above Old Baseline Road: artificial lures only, one single-pointed barbless hook, and catch-and-release for Brook, Brown and Rainbow Trout. Season runs from the fourth Saturday in April to September 30 — this water is closed October 1 to December 31. Confirm the current rules in the Ontario fishing regulations for Zone 16 before you fish.
Access points
- Forks of the Credit Provincial Park — Cataract, ON
- Belfountain Conservation Area — Belfountain, ON
- Upper Credit Conservation Area — Caledon, ON
Read next
For the river as a whole — the three sections, the two dams, and why which stretch you pick matters more here than anywhere — see fishing the Credit River. Timing for every Ontario river is in the river-by-river salmon run guide, and for the drift itself, three float fishing tips.