Goulais River

The Goulais (say goo-lee) is one of the largest rivers on eastern Lake Superior, draining about 2,000 km² of the Algoma highlands before it reaches Goulais Bay a half hour north of Sault Ste. Marie. It is two fisheries. The lower river, from Goulais Bay up past Kirby's Corner, gets lake-run steelhead in spring and fall and salmon in the fall. The upper river toward Searchmont, and its headwaters in Goulais River Provincial Park, hold wild brook trout.

Steelhead come in on the spring freshet from late April into May, and again from September with the salmon, when fish first stack at the mouth and then spread up the river after rain. Look for them on the outside bends, where the current digs a hole, and in the tailouts of the longer runs. Drift a bead-head nymph and an egg pattern under an indicator, or swing a streamer, on an 8 weight. The lower river is also a well-known walleye spot, so expect boats. Read the Kirby's Corner gauge for the lower river: rain on the highlands brings it up fast and colours it, and the fish move on the drop. The Searchmont gauge reads the upper river.

Brook trout here use Zone 10's general season, January 1 to September 30. Rainbows are two a day on a sport licence, but wild steelhead are worth releasing. Below Whitman Dam, walleye are closed from April through June to protect spawning fish, and the East Goulais is artificial flies only. Respect private land along the river, and ask before you cross it. The Algoma Central Railway follows the river north toward the Agawa Canyon. Sault Ste. Marie has every service, and the St. Marys Rapids are a half hour away.