Fishing at Thames River — South Western Ontario

About this spot

Thames River is a river in the South Western Ontario area of Ontario, in Fisheries Management Zone 16. MNR fish surveys (2006–2015) recorded 40 species here, including white sucker, rock bass and smallmouth bass. This waterbody sits on Ontario Crown land open to anglers holding a valid Ontario fishing licence.

Location

Fish Species

Sucker Rock Bass Smallmouth Bass Brown Trout Largemouth Bass Common Carp Yellow Perch Muskellunge Redhorse Rainbow Trout Catfish

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 32 fish survey records from 2006 to 2015. Survey methods: Ontario Stream Assessment Protocol Electrofishing.

Species recorded (40)

Greenside Darter · 22 White Sucker · 22 Blacknose Dace · 19 Creek Chub · 19 Johnny Darter · 18 Central Stoneroller · 17 Rock Bass · 17 Bluntnose Minnow · 13 Smallmouth Bass · 13 Rainbow Darter · 12 Fantail Darter · 11 Blackside Darter · 10 Common Shiner · 7 Striped Shiner · 7 Brook Stickleback · 6 Fathead Minnow · 6 Pumpkinseed · 6 Stonecat · 5 Brown Trout · 5 Largemouth Bass · 5 Northern Hog Sucker · 4 Common Carp · 3 Mimic Shiner · 3 Yellow Perch · 3 Logperch · 3 River Chub · 3 Spotfin Shiner · 3 Northern Redbelly Dace · 3 Muskellunge · 3 Rosyface Shiner · 3 Central Mudminnow · 2 Round Goby · 2 Golden Redhorse · 1 Rainbow Trout · 1 Iowa Darter · 1 Hornyhead Chub · 1 Green Sunfish · 1 Gizzard Shad · 1 Channel Catfish · 1 Golden Shiner · 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

Thames 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 Thames River (2026–27)

Ontario has no separate ice fishing season: the regular open seasons apply through the ice. Thames 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, channel catfish, pumpkinseed and yellow perch are open at least part of the winter under the zone-wide rules.

Fish sanctuary. The summary lists Thames River as a fish sanctuary: No fishing - March 15 to Friday before second Saturday in May. No fishing is allowed during that period, whatever the table below says.

Species	Through the ice	Zone-wide season	Limits
Brown trout recorded here	Different rule here See the rules for this lake below	fourth Saturday in April to September 30	S-5 and C-2
Channel catfish recorded here	Open	open all year	S-12 and C-6
Largemouth and smallmouth bass combined recorded here	Closed	fourth Saturday in June to November 30	S-6 and C-2
Muskellunge recorded here	Different rule here See the rules for this lake below	first Saturday in June to December 15	S-1; must be greater than 91 centimetres, and C-0
Rainbow trout recorded here	Different rule here See the rules for this lake below	fourth Saturday in April to September 30	S-2 and C-1
Sunfish recorded here	Open	open all year	S-50 and C-25
Yellow perch recorded here	Open	open all year	S-50 and C-25
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
Crappie	Open	open all year	S-30 and C-10
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
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
Splake	Open	open all year	S-5 and C-2
Walleye and sauger combined	Different rule here See the rules for this lake below	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

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 Thames 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) (Elgin County and Middlesex County and the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, main branch only): Season: open all year Limits: Zone-wide limits apply
Walleye exception (additional fishing opportunities) (from the mouth of the Thames River at Lake St. Clair to the downstream side of the Keil Street Bridge in the Municipalit...): Season: open all year Limits: S-6 and C-2; no size limits
Waterbody exception (between the dam at Gordon Pittock Reservoir and the bridge at Highway 59): Fish sanctuary - no fishing from March 15 to Friday before second Saturday in May
Waterbody exception (from the mouth of the Thames River at Lake St. Clair to the downstream side of the Keil Street Bridge (Municipality of C...): Muskellunge - S-1; must be greater than 112 centimetres, and C-0
Fish sanctuary (refer to waterbody exceptions): No fishing - March 15 to Friday before second Saturday in May

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.