Bighead River

The Bighead River comes off the Niagara Escarpment country south of Meaford and runs into Georgian Bay in the middle of town. Steelhead and some chinook run up from the bay in the fall, and steelhead come again in the spring. The river is small and walkable, and the Trout Hollow trail follows its valley upstream from Meaford.

The lowest water, from the bay up to the Highway 26 (Sykes Street) bridge, is in Zone 14 and open all year for rainbow trout, brown trout and Pacific salmon. Above the bridge, the river in St. Vincent Township has an extended season from the fourth Saturday in April to December 31. That puts most of the fishing in October to December and from late April into May. It is a wading river, and the fish hold in the deeper runs and pools. A float and roe bag or a nymph and egg fly drifted through the runs both work. Read the Meaford gauge. Like most small rivers it rises fast after rain and drops back quickly.

The Bighead's tributaries are closed from the fourth Saturday in April to May 31, to protect spawning fish. The Trout Hollow trail crosses private land that the owners share with the public, so stay on the trail. Meaford has motels and services, and Owen Sound is 25 minutes west.