Ganaraska River

River Eastern Ontario FMZ 17 Crown Land (Free)

About this spot

Ganaraska River is a river in the Eastern Ontario area of Ontario, in Fisheries Management Zone 17. This waterbody sits on Ontario Crown land open to anglers holding a valid Ontario fishing licence. Ontario's rivers and streams provide excellent fishing for trout, Pacific salmon, and many other sport fish species.

Location

Fish Species

No species reported for this spot yet.

Fisheries Management Zone 17

Ganaraska River is in Fisheries Management Zone 17. Open seasons, catch limits and size limits in Ontario are set zone by zone, and some lakes carry their own exceptions, so check the FMZ 17 rules before you fish.

FMZ 17 regulations on ontario.ca

Ice fishing on Ganaraska River (2026–27)

Ontario has no separate ice fishing season: the regular open seasons apply through the ice. Ganaraska River is in Fisheries Management Zone 17, where 4 of 16 species groups are open for the whole ice season (December 1 to March 31) under the zone-wide rules.

Fish sanctuary. The summary lists Ganaraska River as a fish sanctuary: No fishing - closed all year; No Fishing – September 1 to October 14. No fishing is allowed during that period, whatever the table below says.

Species	Through the ice	Zone-wide season	Limits
Atlantic salmon	Different rule here See the rules for this lake below	fourth Saturday in April to September 30	S-0 and C-0
Brook trout	Closed	fourth Saturday in April to September 30	S-2 and C-1
Brown trout	Different rule here See the rules for this lake below	fourth Saturday in April to September 30	S-5 and C-2
Channel catfish	Closed	fourth Saturday in April to November 15	S-12 and C-6
Crappie	Open	open all year	S-30 and C-10
Lake sturgeon	Closed	closed all year
Lake trout	Closed	fourth Saturday in April to September 30	S-3 and C-1
Lake whitefish	Closed	fourth Saturday in April to November 15	S-12 and C-6
Largemouth and smallmouth bass combined	Part of the season Dec 1 – Dec 15	third Saturday in June to December 15	S-6 and C-2
Muskellunge	Part of the season Dec 1 – Dec 15	1st Saturday in June to December 15	S-1; must be greater than 112 centimetres, and C-0
Northern pike	Open	open all year	S-6 and C-2
Pacific salmon	Different rule here See the rules for this lake below	fourth Saturday in April to September 30	S-5 and C-2
Rainbow trout	Different rule here See the rules for this lake below	fourth Saturday in April to September 30	S-2 and C-1
Sunfish	Open	open all year	S-300; only 30 may be greater than 18 centimetres, and C-15
Walleye and sauger combined	Closed	second Saturday in May to November 15	S-4 and C-1; must be between 35-50 centimetres
Yellow perch	Open	open all year	S-50 and C-25

S = sport fishing licence, C = conservation licence (daily catch and possession). Dates are worked out for 2026–27 from the wording of the 2026 summary. Ontario publishes a new summary every January 1, so check the 2027 edition for dates after December 31.

Rules specific to Ganaraska River

The 2026 summary lists this lake by name and location. These rules replace the zone-wide ones above where they overlap.

Atlantic salmon, brown trout, Pacific salmon and rainbow trout exception (additional fishing opportunities) (between the southerly limit of the CNR right-of-way and Lake Ontario): Season: open all year Limits: Zone-wide limits apply
Atlantic salmon, brown trout, Pacific salmon and rainbow trout exception (additional fishing opportunities) (from the south side of the Jocelyn Street Bridge to the southerly limit of the CNR right-of-way): Season: open from fourth Saturday in April to August 31 and from October 15 to December 31 (extended fall season) Limits: Zone-wide limits apply
Fish sanctuary (Town of Port Hope, from Highway 401 downstream to the south side of the Jocelyn Street Bridge): No fishing - closed all year
Fish sanctuary (from the south side of the Jocelyn Street Bridge to the southerly limit of the C.N.R. right-of-way): No Fishing – September 1 to October 14

Ice huts in Zone 17

Huts must be registered (free, once) and show the number outside; fabric shelters under 7 m² are exempt. Remove your hut by March 1, and in any case before the ice breaks up. You may fish with two lines through the ice in most waters, within 60 m and in sight of each.

Zone 17 ice fishing rules Ice fishing in Ontario guide

Source: Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary 2026, Zone 17 (ontario.ca); ice hut rules: ontario.ca/page/ice-fishing. This summary is not the law: check the regulations and local conditions, and never go on ice you have not tested.