Freestone · Glacial Till · Ontario, CA

Nottawasaga River

Bridge over the Nottawasaga at Flos Rd 4 W

The Nottawasaga at Wasaga Beach carries one of Georgian Bay's biggest steelhead runs, with chinook and resident browns and a network of cold-water tributaries.

Tomorrow · Slow going — pick your moments
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Forecast · Tomorrow
Slow going — pick your moments
Slow going — pick your moments and do not force it.
45% projected
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Rising
5.43 m
Lifting fast
Water temp5.9°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather9°C
WindN 10 km/h
Pressure1031 hPa
Rain · recent0.4 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Steelhead
Ideal
6°C est.ideal 4–13°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Steelhead
When
Spring and fall steelhead; chinook in autumn.
Where
The Nottawasaga at Wasaga Beach carries one of Georgian Bay's biggest steelhead runs, with chinook and resident browns and a network of cold-water tributaries.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is working for you, but insect activity is the limiting factor today.
Likely species
Chironomids
Hatch timeline · tomorrowQuiet day

Low insect activity predicted today

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Brown DunHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Quill GordonHatch
2
2
Blue QuillHatch
2
3
2
HendricksonHatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Steelhead fly box
SS
Steelhead stonefly nymph
14–16 · Nymph
Search the runs and pockets, dead-drift near the bottom.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Sanctuary reaches and FMZ 16 seasons; tributary-specific rules
  • Verify current OFRS.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 1
Beaver River
53 km
82
Steelhead · Chinook salmon
Gallery · 2
  1. Bridge over the Nottawasaga at Flos Rd 4 W
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A sandy, lower-gradient river that colours and warms easily, it fishes for lake-run rainbows in spring and fall on the clarity drop — a major southern-Ontario steelhead destination.

Under the surface

The Nottawasaga reaches Georgian Bay at Wasaga Beach and runs one of the area's largest steelhead populations, with chinook and resident brown trout. A sandy, lower-gradient system through glacial-till country, it colours and warms readily; spring and fall are the steelhead windows, and its tributaries (Boyne, Pine, Mad) add cold-water character.

Wading: Soft sand, coloured flows, warm low summer water

  • Glacial till
  • Unconfined
  • Pool riffle
  • Large river
Conservation note

Naturalised lake-run steelhead, chinook and brown trout (retention provincially regulated); cold-water tributaries hold resident trout. Sanctuary reaches protect spawners. Clean-Drain-Dry.

Why this score · for Steelhead
  • Temperature10028% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time5513% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity4112% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Nottawasaga River is a freestone river in Ontario — Georgian Bay (Wasaga / Angus), Canada. The catchment geology is recorded as glacial till, and the water sits at about 186 m above sea level. Species listed for this water: steelhead, brown trout and chinook salmon. The trout season is recorded as running from 1 January to 31 December. Best window recorded for anglers: Spring and fall steelhead; chinook in autumn. Core methods listed: Nymphing eggs and stoneflies; Swung flies and sink-tips; Reading the clarity drop. Level and flow data for this water is linked from 1 gauge (data from Environment Canada). Nearby waters in our listings include Beaver River at 53 km.