Goulais River

River Northern Ontario FMZ 10 Crown Land (Free)

About this spot

Goulais River is a river in the Northern Ontario area of Ontario, in Fisheries Management Zone 10. MNR fish surveys (2002–2017) recorded 39 species here, including rock bass, smallmouth bass and brown bullhead. This waterbody sits on Ontario Crown land open to anglers holding a valid Ontario fishing licence.

Location

Fish Species

Rock Bass Smallmouth Bass Catfish Yellow Perch Northern Pike Sucker Walleye Redhorse Common Carp Largemouth Bass Rainbow Trout Brook Trout

No species reported for this spot yet.

Lake data from Ontario government surveys

Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources holds 34 fish survey records from 2002 to 2017. Survey methods: Electrofishing, Trap net, Fyke Net, Angling.

Species recorded (39)

Rock Bass · 20 Smallmouth Bass · 16 Bluntnose Minnow · 14 Johnny Darter · 14 Brown Bullhead · 13 Common Shiner · 8 Yellow Perch · 7 Mimic Shiner · 7 Northern Pike · 6 Mottled Sculpin · 6 Logperch · 6 White Sucker · 5 Walleye · 5 Silver Redhorse · 5 American Brook Lamprey · 4 Trout-Perch · 3 Blacknose Shiner · 2 Emerald Shiner · 2 Rosyface Shiner · 2 Spottail Shiner · 2 Shorthead Redhorse · 2 Blackchin Shiner · 2 Pumpkinseed · 2 Common Carp · 1 Golden Shiner · 1 Blacknose Dace · 1 Brassy Minnow · 1 Central Mudminnow · 1 Chinook Salmon · 1 Coho Salmon · 1 Creek Chub · 1 Hornyhead Chub · 1 Lake Chub · 1 Largemouth Bass · 1 Longnose Dace · 1 Rainbow Trout · 1 Sand Shiner · 1 Sea Lamprey · 1 Brook Trout · 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 10

Goulais River is in Fisheries Management Zone 10. 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 10 rules before you fish.

FMZ 10 regulations on ontario.ca

Ice fishing on Goulais River (2026–27)

Ontario has no separate ice fishing season: the regular open seasons apply through the ice. Goulais River is in Fisheries Management Zone 10, where 10 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, brook trout, northern pike, chinook salmon, coho salmon, rainbow trout, pumpkinseed and yellow perch are open at least part of the winter under the zone-wide rules.

Species	Through the ice	Zone-wide season	Limits
Brook trout recorded here	Part of the season Jan 1 – Mar 31	January 1 to September 30	S-5 and C-2
Largemouth and smallmouth bass combined recorded here	Closed	third Saturday in June to November 30	S-6 and C-3
Northern pike recorded here	Open	open all year	S-6; not more than 1 greater than 61 centimetres, none greater than 86 centimetres, and C-2; none greater than 61 centimetres
Pacific salmon recorded here	Open	open all year	S-5 and C-2
Rainbow trout recorded here	Open	open all year	S-2 and C-1
Sunfish recorded here	Open	open all year	S-50 and C-25
Walleye and sauger combined recorded here	Different rule here See the rules for this lake below	January 1 to the third Sunday in March and third Saturday in May to December 31	S-4 and C-2; none greater than 46 centimetres
Yellow perch recorded here	Open	open all year	S-50 and C-25
Atlantic salmon	Part of the season Jan 1 – Mar 31	January 1 to September 30	S-1 and C-0
Brown trout	Open	open all year	S-5 and C-2
Channel catfish	Open	open all year	S-12 and C-6
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 Labour Day	S-2; not more than 1 greater than 40 centimetres, and C-1
Lake whitefish	Open	open all year	S-12 and C-6
Muskellunge	Different rule here See the rules for this lake below	third Saturday in June to December 15	S-1; must be greater than 122 centimetres, and C-0
Splake	Open	open all year	S-5 and C-2

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 Goulais River

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

Waterbody exception: Muskellunge - S-1, must be greater than 137 centimetres, C-0; Walleye and sauger combined - open January 1 to March 31 and July 1 to December 31

Ice huts in Zone 10

Huts must be registered (free, once) and show the number outside; fabric shelters under 7 m² are exempt. Remove your hut by March 31, 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 10 ice fishing rules Ice fishing in Ontario guide

Source: Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary 2026, Zone 10 (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.