Making steelhead memories on the Nottawasaga River

I don’t often visit the Nottawasaga, but it holds a very special place in my fishing memory bank — it’s where I landed my first river steelhead.

It was late October in the mid 1990s. I was fish­ing in the lower reaches near Oxbow Park, south of Wasaga Beach. A friend and I spent the weekend at Mermaid Resort. It was a perfect spot to crash. It was well kept, and a short drive to a river.

I was a newbie to float fishing then, and still remember walking to the shore, staring up at the steep sand banks, and looking downriver at deep pools on sharp river bends — a float fishing haven. It wasn’t until the second day of our trip and watch­ing my friend land a few beauties that it finally hap­pened. My float dropped beneath the surface in a spot I had drifted several times before. I set the hook and battled a beautiful little silver bullet. It was a perfect eater. We made it our meal for the evening. It’s hard to forget your first.

I really hadn’t covered much of this system over the years, outside of the lower end. It was always on my list of places to revisit, so when my friend and seasoned steelhead guide Matt Martin asked me to build him a fishing net, I took the opportunity to barter for a guided day of fishing in exchange for a custom-built, long-handle boat net. Martin is a great ambassador of the sport and a super friendly guy. His knowledge of the Nottawasaga River is extensive, and I knew I’d be in good hands.

Meeting Matt

It was February when I finished Martin’s net. It was also extremely mild, so we took advantage and found an empty day in our calendars. The Nottawasaga has a section that is open year-round for steelhead fishing. Martin’s guiding season can last right through the winter on the Notty when temperatures permit and this can be some of the best fishing, with the fewest anglers on the water.

I met Martin near Nicolston and after a quick vehicle shuttle, we launched his raft at a private property and started our day-long journey down­

river. A drift boat is a great way to escape the popular beats that are accessible on foot. Private land bor­ders the banks of much of the river. There are some public trails and landowners that may grant access if you’re polite and lucky. A short car ride down­river from where we put in is the town of Angus, where the Nottawasaga River trail provides public access from Willoughby Road. The Nottawasaga and Don Ross fishing parks, both found off Mill Street in Angus, also offer ample parking and easy access to the river.

It’s float time

Martin guides with fly rod and float rod options. There was no way I was messing around with a fly rod today. I wanted to watch my float drop like my first steelhead and catch lots of fish, so we rigged our 13-foot centre­pin rods and began our way downriver.

Martin was raving about the pink worm he was using right before hooking the first fish of the morning in the first pool. I was sticking to a bead/roe bag combo. After a quick battle, I had the honour of landing the first steelhead in the new net. We high fived, snapped pics, and carried on fishing.

I switched to the pink worm to try and even the score, but after a dozen or so drifts, went back to old faith­ful. Soon my float dropped, and it was on. In the same pool, Martin and I were both on the board in the first 30 minutes. This was going to be a good day!

Moving on down

We gave the first pool a solid effort and moved our way on downriver. This next segment was tighter than the lower reach I was familiar with. It had similar substrate though, with meandering sandy shorelines and wood scattered throughout the river bottom and banks, acting as the primary cover for the steelhead.

Float fishing or a strike indicator on a fly rod are the most effective fish catching methods in this kind of water. Upstream of where we launched is the Boyne River which marks the upstream limit of the year-round steelhead season. Steelhead migrate farther upstream to spawn. These head­waters are the breeding ground for the future of the fishery, which is why angling is not permitted until the season opener in late April.

Fish keep coming

When we reached our take-out point, Martin made quick work of hauling out the raft. We both felt lucky to have made this day come together with our busy schedules and he was stoked about using the new net in the weeks to come. I hadn’t timed a steelhead trip like this one in a while. I highly recommend Martin if you’re looking to learn about steelhead fishing. He has a full season multi-species program offered through his com­pany Smooth River Guiding. Look him up for your next adventure and remember the Nottawasaga when you’re thinking of a steelhead getaway.

As our day went on, we lost count. We were truly blessed by the steelhead gods, landing beautiful fresh chromers, literally in every hole we fished. Not until we reached our exit point for the day, did we run into other anglers, fishing from the banks. These fellas also spoke of success. Although we were fishing in winter, many of the fish we inter­cepted were fresh, spring-run steelhead that had recently entered the system. The fresh fish are notably chrome silver while those that have been in the river for some time will have a darker colour and distinct red cheeks and red bands on their sides.

Trip details

Cost: Day trip for a float down the Nottawasaga: $600+HST

Contact: Matt Martin
smoothriverguiding@gmail.com
www.smoothriver.ca
@smooth.river.guiding

Getting there: The drift tour begins west of Innisfil, about an hour north of Toronto along Hwy 400.

Originally published in the Jan.-Feb. 2025 issue of Ontario OUT of DOORS

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