Saugeen River

The Saugeen drains a big piece of Grey and Bruce counties and reaches Lake Huron at Southampton. Steelhead, chinook and lake-run brown trout come up from the lake every fall, first to Denny's Dam a few kilometres above the mouth, then through the fishway into the long middle river past Paisley toward Walkerton. The short reach below Denny's Dam is open all year, so that is where most people fish when the chinook are in.

This is big, open water. Below Walkerton the Saugeen is a popular canoe route, with flat stretches broken by riffles and modest rapids, and much of the bank is private. Most anglers fish the pools below Denny's Dam and the numbered canoe access points, or float a stretch. Chinook arrive in September and October. Steelhead follow from October into the winter, and the spring fish run from March into May. Brown trout move up with the fall fish, and the Ministry of Natural Resources stocks brown trout in the river. Drift a float with a roe bag or egg fly through the runs, or swing a streamer in the tailouts. Read the Port Elgin gauge for the lower river and the Walkerton gauge for the middle river. Rain and the spring melt colour the river quickly, and it fishes best as it drops and clears.

The seasons change at the dam. Below the concrete abutments under Denny's Dam the river is in Zone 13 and open all year. From there up to the Concession 2 sideroad bridge near Walkerton, trout and salmon are open from the fourth Saturday in April to December 31, and the dam pool is closed to night fishing through October. Expect a crowd at the dam in the fall. Denny's Dam Conservation Area has parking and a small campground run by the Ontario Steelheaders.