Migratory – The Niagara River – Niagara Falls, Ontario

The Niagara River Whirlpool Panoramic.

Connecting Lakes Erie and Ontario, The Niagara River – Niagara Falls, Ontario is world famous — but not for its fishing …

Above Niagara Falls, the prizes include football-sized rainbows and Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass, and truly massive muskies.

Below Niagara Falls, huge runs of Migratory Brown Trout, Lake Trout and of Steelhead begin in October and are catchable until June, with good fishing from shore as well as from boats.

One of the natural wonders of the world, Niagara Falls has exerted a magnetic pull on tourists and honeymooners alike for generations.

For hard-bitten Steelhead junkies, it’s not the falls that sets hearts a-pounding, but The Niagara River – Niagara Falls, Ontario itself flowing through The Niagara Gorge or “Glenn”.

Here, in the 11-kilometre stretch of roiling river leading from the Horseshoe Falls to the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge, lies arguably the best non-coastal Steelhead fishery in North America.

What makes the Lower Niagara River so special?

There are the huge runs of Steelhead migrating upriver from Lake Ontario, cold-water torpedoes averaging more than six pounds, routinely hitting 15 to 18 pounds, and sometimes reaching 24 pounds or more.

The real draw, however, the thing that sets The Niagara River apart from other Steelhead rivers, is the fact that once the season starts in October, the fishing stays strong, day in and day out, until June!

That’s because The Niagara River – Niagara Falls, Ontario is so massive — hundreds of metres wide and 45 metres deep in places — it’s relatively unaffected by excessive rain or drought, the same conditions that can kill the fishing on smaller rivers.

A strong word of caution…

The Niagara River below Horseshoe Falls is heavy water that demands respect!