Fishing for trout in the Ausable River

Emptying into Lake Huron, the Ausable River meanders 150 miles across south western Ontario, although its source in Staffa is only 40 miles from Port Franks where it reaches Lake Huron. On its journey it winds through prime farmlands around London, Ontario, having had its course dramatically changed by the drainage project known as The Cut.

The river basin is amongst the most biologically diverse river basins in Canada. Included in this diversity are some great trout. The river supports insect communities of caddis flies, mayflies and stoneflies, all of which trout enjoy. Brown trout are the most abundant of all trout in the Ausable making up nearly 70% of the trout population. The fish range in size from around 9 inches to 18 inches.

Rainbow trout slightly outnumbers the Brookies. The Rainbows measure around ten to 16 inches while Brookies of up to 12 inches are fairly common in the river. Steelheads are available during the spring and fall runs in the Ausable and in the spawning tributaries but summer-runs are very rare. The bulk of these steelheads are wild.

Sections of the Ausable River are designated catch and release waters but, as always, the challenge lies in finding and bringing in the fish. Care must be taken when handling and releasing fish for release.

Fly fishing is a favorite in the Ausable and night fly fishing usually results in good catches and bigger trout seem to feed on the flies at night. Trout tend to start rising after 8pm and usually dry flies will get you a bite. But don’t hesitate to try something else if the fish aren’t being attracted to dry flies. They can sometimes simply not be attracted to a fly that has worked well in the past. While most often you will catch Browns around 12 inches, 17 – 18 inch Browns are not uncommon, especially when night fishing.

Spin and bait fishermen also do well in these waters where roe and worms are good bait. The trout live on the insects that surround the river and so insects, as well as grasshoppers and crickets, will attract the trout in the Ausable.

Usually the eight to nine foot rod is ideal for trout fishing, but there are areas on the river where vegetation hangs low over the river and the longer rods are not practical.

The Ausable River is one of the best rivers for year round trout, but remember that the farmlands and many other lands on the river banks lie in private hands and that to fish there without permission is to trespass.