Fishing at Maitland River — Bruce Peninsula

About this spot

Maitland River is a river in the Bruce Peninsula area of Ontario, in Fisheries Management Zone 16. MNR fish surveys (2015) recorded 6 species here, including black crappie and brown bullhead. This waterbody sits on Ontario Crown land open to anglers holding a valid Ontario fishing licence.

Location

Fish Species

No species reported for this spot yet.

Log in to report which species you've caught here.

Lake data from Ontario government surveys

Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources holds 2 fish survey records from 2015.

Species recorded (6)

Black Crappie · 1 Brook Silverside · 1 Emerald Shiner · 1 Round Goby · 1 Brown Bullhead · 1 Johnny Darter · 1

Number of survey records that list the species.

Sources: Land Information Ontario — Aquatic Resource Area survey points, Bathymetry Index and Bathymetry Line, Fisheries Management Zones, Fishing Access Points. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.

Fisheries Management Zone 16

Maitland River is in Fisheries Management Zone 16. 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 16 rules before you fish.

FMZ 16 regulations on ontario.ca

Ice fishing on Maitland River (2026–27)

Ontario has no separate ice fishing season: the regular open seasons apply through the ice. Maitland River is in Fisheries Management Zone 16, where 7 of 17 species groups are open for the whole ice season (December 1 to March 31) under the zone-wide rules. Of the game fish government surveys recorded in this lake, black crappie is open at least part of the winter under the zone-wide rules.

Fish sanctuary. The summary lists Maitland River as a fish sanctuary: No fishing - January 1 to Friday before the fourth Saturday in April; No fishing - January 1 to Friday before the fourth Saturday in April and October 1 to December 31; No fishing - September 15 to October 31 (No night fishing). No fishing is allowed during that period, whatever the table below says.

Species	Through the ice	Zone-wide season	Limits
Crappie recorded here	Open	open all year	S-30 and C-10
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-5 and C-2
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	Open	open all year	S-12 and C-6
Lake sturgeon	Closed	closed all year
Lake trout	Part of the season Jan 1 – Mar 31	January 1 to September 30	S-2 and C-1
Lake whitefish	Open	open all year	S-12 and C-6
Largemouth and smallmouth bass combined	Closed	fourth Saturday in June to November 30	S-6 and C-2
Muskellunge	Part of the season Dec 1 – Dec 15	first Saturday in June to December 15	S-1; must be greater than 91 centimetres, and C-0
Northern pike	Open	January 1 to March 31 and second Saturday in May to December 31	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
Splake	Open	open all year	S-5 and C-2
Sunfish	Open	open all year	S-50 and C-25
Walleye and sauger combined	Part of the season Dec 1 – Mar 15	January 1 to March 15 and second Saturday in May to December 31	S-4 and C-2; not more than 1 greater than 46 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 Maitland River

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

Atlantic salmon, brown trout, Pacific salmon and rainbow trout exception (additional fishing opportunities) (Colborne, Goderich, Hullett, East and West Wawanosh and Turnberry Townships, between County Road 4 and the downstream si...): Season: open from fourth Saturday in April to December 31 (extended fall season) Limits: Zone-wide limits apply
Waterbody exception (Colborne and Goderich Townships, extending 550 metres downstream from Falls Reserve Waterfall to the first natural water...): Fish sanctuary - closed to night fishing from September 15 to October 31 (1 half hour after sunset to 1 half hour before sunrise)
Waterbody exception (Huron County, from the downstream side of the bridge on Highway 21 to the upstream side of the bridge on County Road 4): Fish sanctuary - no fishing from January 1 to Friday before fourth Saturday in April
Fish sanctuary (refer to waterbody exceptions): No fishing - January 1 to Friday before the fourth Saturday in April
Fish sanctuary (refer to waterbody exceptions): No fishing - January 1 to Friday before the fourth Saturday in April and October 1 to December 31
Fish sanctuary (refer to waterbody exceptions): No fishing - September 15 to October 31 (No night fishing)

Ice huts in Zone 16

Huts must be registered (free, once) and show the number outside; fabric shelters under 7 m² are exempt. Remove your hut by March 15, 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 16 ice fishing rules Ice fishing in Ontario guide

Source: Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary 2026, Zone 16 (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.