Most rivers are closed during spawning in SW Ontario. Only a few late spawning stragglers usually remain on the gravel post opener. A few coldwater tribs even extended closure until the end of May. And any extended, year round open sections of rivers do not include spawning water. One of the troubles with protecting the entire Steelhead run is that, depending on strain, they can spawn anywhere from sept-june in our waters. I think protecting the 90% or so that spawn from new years - end of April is pretty reasonable.
That isn't the case here. Dams or fish ladder ways are generally protected to protect spawning grounds and access to spawn grounds. Both of which are not there. Hence why this was never enforced. In fact the most common species caught at this location is actually sheepshead and NOT trout or salmon.
I'm absolutely in favour of them enforcing it and it has nothing to do with whether Trout and Salmon successfully reproduce in that system. 
Yeah, so they would regularly come into the system and spawn higher up in the Lynn River, but since the dam is there and it's less than a km from the lake, the fish are probably not going to be successfully spawning there because there's no good gravel.
And thats a good thing. I don't understand why a sanctuary is needed, this regulation is already there to protect all species that congregate below obstructions.
I wasn't questioning the regulation. I totally agree with it. Fish are piling up behind a dam, leaves them vulnerable. I'm just curious as to whether these are just roaming fish from other nearby tribs, or stockers wandering in there after bait and temps. You'd think a spot that isn't routinely stocked, or has any natural spawning habitat would eventually fizzle out. Yet they return year after year.View attachment 55958
It seems pretty black and white to me in the regs
It's unfortunate that some folks lost a favourite fishing spot but this should have been enforced from the beginning IMO. And unfortunately there's still plenty of other similar spots across the province.
Josh
My screenshot of the regs wasn't directed towards you inparticular
That's what I figured too. And in that case, why not close that off? If wild fish from nearby are drawn to that location for whatever reason, they're vulnerable to over harvest being stuck behind an impassable barrier. Just because they can't pass, and the spawning conditions below aren't suitable, I don't agree with allowing it to be open season directly below. Seems to be the right call enforcing it.My screenshot of the regs wasn't directed towards you inparticular
The fish that end up at the dam are likely a mix of wild fish from nearby tribs and wandering US stockers. It's aslo not uncommon for Steelhead, Coho and Browns to wander up tribs besides their birth stream and then return to their birthstream to spawn.
Josh
