Fish Ontario - Top FAQ

Managing fisheries is a question of balance.

The Ministry of Natural Resources must balance the public demand for fish with the ability of the habitat to produce those fish year after year. The goal is to provide the highest level of angling enjoyment while protecting the aquatic environment's ability to replace those fish. Fishing seasons are one tool for achieving that balance.

Very simply, there are open seasons (when a particular kind of fish may be caught) and closed seasons (when the same kind of fish may not be caught).

Most closed seasons are set to protect spawning (breeding) fish and allow them to add to the future fish population.

Some fish, such as bass, need a fairly long closed season while they spawn so adult fish can protect their spawning sites (called nests) from predators. This is an example of why it is illegal to attempt to catch fish for which the season is closed, even if you are going to release them!

Other fish, such as walleye or trout, which play little or no role in protecting eggs or young fish, may not need as much closed season protection.

Some fish, such as trout, normally spawn in the fall, while others, such as bass, and walleye spawn in the spring. That's why some seasons are closed in the fall, and others are closed in the spring. (Check the Ontario Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary for open season dates for the species and zone in which you are interested.)

Another reason for closing fishing seasons is to protect special, endangered or recovering species of fish. The aurora trout is one such fish. The two Ontario lakes where this fish occurs naturally are closed to fishing all year round.

And finally, if too many anglers want to fish for a particular fish in a particular lake, and fisheries scientists discover too many fish are being harvested, the season can be closed for a period of time to protect those fish. That would be an example of overharvesting, or too much fishing pressure, as a reason for a closed season.

The other side of this is that fisheries scientists know that some species of fish in some bodies of water are underharvested. This means that terrific fishing opportunities are going unused. In such a situation anglers can enjoy fishing for these species during extended open seasons or, in some cases, year round open seasons. Look for extended season and year round season listings in the Ontario Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary. Unless stated otherwise, species which are not listed (such as catfish, sucker and rock bass) have a year round open season.

While we are on the topic of the fishing regulations, it is important to point out that all anglers need to familiarize themselves with "the regs". The Ministry has made a real effort to make the Ontario Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary more user-friendly. We even make it easy to download the Summary from the publications section of this website for viewing or for printing out.

You may also pick up a copy of the Ontario Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary from any ServiceOntario office or any licence issuer.