01 Jul Best Places To Go Fishing in Toronto
What are the best places to go fishing in Toronto?
Pretty much everyone here at FishHunter loves to get away and go fishing. Just about all of us would go fishing with anyone, any place, anytime of the year, and especially during summer when northern Ontario water bodies beckon and our cottages on northern lakes are never far from our thoughts. But just because we happen to live in the middle of the biggest city in Canada, doesn’t mean we have put off our fishing obsession until the weekend; we can go angling right here in town, and indeed we’ve found quite a few amazing places to fish which I will document in this and upcoming blog posts. Fact is we have it pretty good up here. Myself and three million other residents are especially fortunate to have access to more than fifty public waterways, and each of these rivers or streams has somewhere on its course a piece of land that affords good access to fine fishing for a variety of different freshwater species. The city actually encourages fishing out on the Toronto Islands, at Hanlans’ Point . There were printed posters a few years back, in an ad campaign suggesting people take up the pastime out there. Perhaps the answer to the question ‘where is the best place to go fishing in Toronto?’ is the Toronto Islands. This aquatic preserve is probably the best overall venue for urban fishing in the GTA – further proof appears in a popular Toronto fishing blog called Fish on Toronto wherein the author seems to celebrate his biggest catches there. But in this blog post we’re going to remind readers that the Toronto Islands are not the only fish hunting ground in our great city.
Explore the City of Toronto to Find New Places to Go Fishing
Below are a dozen places where you can looking and perhaps locate a lovely secluded fishing hole that you can call your own secret spot. I saw an Toronto fishing discussion forum thread once asking people to share their favourite ‘secret’ fishing spots on a travel TV show which would pretty much ensure that their spots were secret no longer.
Tired of the 15 minute ferry ride to and from the Toronto Islands? Try these fishing places instead:
- Tommy Thompson Park: Foot of Leslie St. Ashbridges Bay Park:
- Coxwell Ave. S. of Lakeshore Blvd. E
- High Park Grenadier Pond: High Park Blvd. W. of Parkside Dr.
- Humber River Marsh: Mouth of Humber River upstream to Lakeshore Blvd.
- Rouge River Marsh: Lawrence Ave. E. of Port Union Rd. Bluffers Park: Foot of Brimley Rd.
- Upper Main Rouge River: Public Lands upstream of Hwy. 2
- Lower Humber River: Etienne Brule Park S. to Eglinton Ave.
- Eglinton Flats: Jane at Eglinton Ave.
- G. Ross Lord Park: Dufferin St. N. of Finch Ave.
- Humber Bay Park: Park Lawn Rd. S. of Lakeshore Blvd. W.
- Colonel Samuel Smith Park: Kipling Ave. S. of Lakeshore Blvd. W.
- Marie Curtis Park: Lakeshore Rd. E. of Dixie Rd.
- Centennial Park: Centennial Park Blvd. S. of Eglinton Ave.
- Summerlea Park: Albion Rd. E. of Islington Ave
There are millions of fish, and hundreds of public fishing holes in Toronto
There are plenty of fish in Toronto! According to the Urban Fishing in Toronto Ministry of Natural Resources page web page which details fishing in the GTA, the Ministry of Natural Resources stocks more than 1.5 million fish every year for urban anglers. The majority of these stocking efforts are within the Lake Ontario watershed. Popular rivers that enter the lake, such as the Humber and the Credit, are stocked with brown or rainbow trout, chinook, coho or even some Atlantic salmon. With limited natural reproduction, these cold water species are the main fish stocked in the GTA. They can be caught along stretches of riverbanks from public areas along the Lake Ontario waterfront or out in a boat. In fact, Lake Ontario has a renowned charter boat fishery right on Ontario’s doorstep Below is yet more of the terrific work being done by the the Toronto Urban Fishing Ambassadors, 
Toronto Urban Fishing has Help from Passionate Activists
Toronto Urban Fishing Ambassadors work to protect urban anglers’ civic rights. They build relationships with both governmental and private organizations interested in the promotion and conservation of Toronto’s fisheries and they lobby municipal governments to ensure enthusiasts continue to enjoy unfettered access to Toronto’s parks, shorelines, waterways and wetlands for the purposes of sport and recreational fishing. Toronto Urban Fishing Ambassadors work to encourage residents and visitors of all ages to experience and appreciate the world class fishing opportunities offered across the Greater Toronto Area. This city’s public lands exist for everyone’s enjoyment! As stewards of this great sport, members actively participate and support the conservation of Toronto’s growing fisheries as they celebrate its biodiversity in pictures and posts. 
Remember, no matter where you are* to go Fishing in the City of Toronto you need an up-to-date Outdoors Card from the Ontario Government.
If you are over 18yrs old, to legally fish in the City of Toronto you’ll need the Outdoors Card from Ontario Government, and any additional sport fishing license tags or conservation fishing license tag (3 year or 1 year) will either be printed on, or accompanied by, this plastic Outdoors Card. The scene to the right of this picture is taken on the Humber River just south of Eglinton Ave at Scarlett Rd. That’s my buddy Tony down there fishing for Bass but pulling out shiners and chum. I posted this picture on Fuel Ghoul and it’s made the rounds online because of the stark contrast of showing a man enjoying the great outdoors inside the living breathing city .
How to Get an Outdoors Card in Ontario
An Outdoors Card is good for three calendar years. If you are an Ontario resident between 18 and 65 years of age and you want to fish in Ontario right away, you can buy a Resident Temporary Outdoors Card and fishing licence tag from selected license issuers or ServiceOntario centres across the province. This Temporary Outdoors Card and fishing licence tag is effective immediately and valid until December 31 of the year in which it was purchased. If your Outdoors Card will soon expire, or has already expired, the fastest and easiest way to renew your Outdoors Card is a three year renewal by credit card with a call to 1-800-288-1155 or online at the Outdoors Card website. Ontario resident hunters can also fish under the authority of their Outdoors Card (hunting version) with the appropriate fishing licence tag. You can also get more information on the Outdoors Card by calling the Outdoors Card Centre at 1-800-387-7011. This toll-free number works from all regions of Canada, from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time).
What Fish Are Found Where in Toronto Lakes and Rivers?
I found this nifty chart on a Canadian government website that shows which fish exist in which rivers and streams … why do I see goldfish on the list?
Guidelines to Fishing in Toronto
No person shall fish in an area posted to prohibit fishing. No person shall store or leave any lures, bait, hooks, lines, poles or other equipment in a municipal park or in any location where they might injure other persons or wildlife. All permitted fishing must be carried out in compliance with all Ministry of Natural Resources Rules and Regulations. You can learn more about License – fishing licenses required to catch predator fish or ‘game fish’ in addition to the Ontario Outdoors card. 
Toronto Island If you are between 18 and 64 years of age you will need a fishing license to fish the Toronto Islands except on the Urban Fishing Festival weekend in July. Fishing licenses are not required for children. There are two fishing docks at Algonquin Island and the Trout Pond at Hanlan’s Point. Fishing is not permitted at any of the boat slips.
- You can fish on The Islands with only one rod and reel at a time;
- No nets or other devices may be used to catch gamefish. You cannot snag fish.
- Your possession limit of fish cannot exceed your daily catch limit. Plan what to do if you catch a fish, we encourage catch and release.
Fishing restrictions are also listed on the back of the Fishing Guide available at the Boathouse. For more information on fishing restrictions on the Toronto Islands, please contact a Parks, Forestry and Recreation Staff at the Boat House In the coming weeks and m0nths we will outline our own favourite spots top fish in the city, and perhaps even our secret spots.
Post by Robert Campbell on May 2, 2013