Fall fishing is officially here, and conditions across Southern Ontario are shaping up beautifully. With recent rains bringing fresh runs of salmon and higher, slightly stained water, this weekend looks perfect for targeting everything from salmon and trout to bass, pike, and musky. Here’s your Southern Ontario Fly Fishing Forecast for September 24th.
Salmon Fishing After the Rains
The past week brought heavy rainfall, pushing in fresh waves of salmon across our river systems. Many of the darker, settled fish are now being joined by aggressive fresh salmon, giving anglers a much better shot at hookups. Where most of the salmon were concentrated in some specific early-running rivers before, you'll now find better numbers of fish in many river systems!
Best Bets:
- Bright egg patterns in riffles and tailouts.
- Bold streamer choices like woolly buggers, egg-sucking leeches, and jigs in high-contrast colors. Think blacks, purples, and chartreuse.
Look for steelhead and early season migratory Great Lakes brown trout mixed in with the salmon, especially behind spawners feeding on drifting eggs.
Trout Tactics for September
Higher water levels have made trout more active and less wary, opening up a range of productive techniques. Browns in particular are getting more aggressive as they move toward their fall spawn.
Best Bets:
- Nymphing with natural, drab patterns such as Spanish Bullet perdigons, hare’s ears, pheasant tails, or olive nymphs.
- Streamers in the small to mid-size range, tans, whites, and olives are especially effective.
Dry fly opportunities are still great too! Caddis in a range of sizes, blue-wing olives (small mayfly), and terrestrial insects like ants, hoppers, and beetles are your ticket!
Bass Opportunities
Don’t overlook warmwater species, fall is prime time for bass, pike, and musky. With cooling temperatures, baitfish are stacking up around remaining green vegetation, while wood and rock structures hold fish in lakes where weeds are starting to die back.
Best Bets:
- Slow presentations like Dead Neds near bottom for neutral fish.
- For aggressive fish busting bait, try Clouser Minnows and poppers
The Southern Ontario Fly Fishing Forecast for September 24th couldn’t be better: higher water, aggressive fresh salmon, hungry trout, and excellent late-season bass and musky action. Whether you’re wading rivers for salmon or prowling lakes for pike, this is a weekend you won’t want to miss.
Stop by the shop if you need flies, gear, or advice—we’ll help you get set up for success. See you on the water!
