Fishing at Beaver River — South Western Ontario

About this spot

Beaver River is a river in the South Western Ontario area of Ontario, in Fisheries Management Zone 16. MNR fish surveys (1973–2022) recorded 47 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 Catfish Yellow Perch Largemouth Bass Lake Whitefish Northern Pike Common Carp Lake Trout Brook Trout Mooneye Black Crappie Rainbow Smelt Muskellunge

No species reported for this spot yet.

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Lake data from Ontario government surveys

Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources holds 70 fish survey records from 1973 to 2022. Survey methods: Ontario Stream Assessment Protocol Electrofishing, Minnow Trap, Seine, Trap net, Electrofishing, Gillnet, Mixed gear.

Species recorded (47)

Creek Chub · 50 Common Shiner · 43 White Sucker · 32 Rock Bass · 31 Brook Stickleback · 30 Longnose Dace · 29 Blacknose Dace · 27 Northern Redbelly Dace · 27 Central Mudminnow · 25 Mottled Sculpin · 24 Rainbow Darter · 23 Bluntnose Minnow · 22 Smallmouth Bass · 22 Fathead Minnow · 20 Hornyhead Chub · 18 Johnny Darter · 18 Northern Pearl Dace · 13 Brown Bullhead · 12 Blackside Darter · 11 Finescale Dace · 10 Pumpkinseed · 8 Brassy Minnow · 8 Yellow Perch · 8 River Chub · 7 Emerald Shiner · 7 Largemouth Bass · 6 Central Stoneroller · 6 Rosyface Shiner · 5 Round Goby · 5 Blacknose Shiner · 4 Lake Whitefish · 4 Iowa Darter · 3 Golden Shiner · 3 Longnose Sucker · 3 Banded Killifish · 3 Logperch · 3 Mimic Shiner · 2 Northern Pike · 2 Common Carp · 2 Lake Trout · 2 Brook Trout · 1 Black Bullhead · 1 Mooneye · 1 Black Crappie · 1 Rainbow Smelt · 1 Muskellunge · 1 Yellow Bullhead · 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

Beaver 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 Beaver River (2026–27)

Ontario has no separate ice fishing season: the regular open seasons apply through the ice. Beaver 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, lake trout, lake whitefish, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed and yellow perch are open at least part of the winter under the zone-wide rules.

Fish sanctuary. The summary lists Beaver River as a fish sanctuary: No fishing - March 1 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
Brook trout recorded here	Closed	fourth Saturday in April to September 30	S-5 and C-2
Crappie recorded here	Open	open all year	S-30 and C-10
Lake trout recorded here	Part of the season Jan 1 – Mar 31	January 1 to September 30	S-2 and C-1
Lake whitefish 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	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 recorded here	Open	January 1 to March 31 and second Saturday in May to December 31	S-6 and C-2
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
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
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
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

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 Beaver 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) (Collingwood Township, from the Thornbury Dam to Georgian Bay (Grey County): Season: open from fourth Saturday in April to December 31 (extended fall season) Limits: Zone-wide limits apply
Fish sanctuary (Thorah Township, from the CNR railway bridge in the town of Beaverton upstream to Highway 12/48): No fishing - March 1 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.