Rideau River from Springhurst Park to Brewer Park

[redge]

Given where I live, this stretch of the Rideau is a very convenient place for me to fish. I'll be using a 8'6" 4wt.

Does anyone know, give or take a couple of weeks, when people start fishing this part of the river in the spring for panfish?

I plan to walk it to identify likely spots for fishing from shore and maybe with boots/waders. I'd appreciate any suggestions. What is the river bottom like?

One other question. What's in the canal, once it's opened, and do sensible people eat the fish that they catch in it? I live a few hundred yards from the dogleg that ends at the pond in Central Park. I'm trying to figure out whether this is strictly a place to work on casting, or also a place to fish.

Thanks

[Todd B.]

redge,

The bottom varies from part to part. You'll find portions with rock bolders, rock slabs and soft/muddy bottom. For wading you're pretty much limited to the stretch around Billings Bridge and Carleton U. In the spring the water levels can be extremely high and I would recommend only fishing Billings Bridge with someone that knows the water, until the levels drop down to more normal levels.

For panfish in particular, you'd be better off fishing Dow's Lake. You can even fish it before they raise the water levels, though I've been told that the holdover weeds from the previous year can make for difficult fishing. As for eating the fish.....I throw everything back.

Just a little side note. In the spring the muskie tend to cruise the shallows for tasty treats as well, and it's not uncommon to have one pounce on a hooked panfish.

[Evan]

yeah, i've seen some pretty large carp in that pond 2-3 years ago, forgot where it was located, had the image in my head, and have been trying to figure out where it was. Check it out on google maps, and yeah, should be a good spot to try for carp.

[redge]

yeah, i've seen some pretty large carp in that pond 2-3 years ago, forgot where it was located, had the image in my head, and have been trying to figure out where it was. Check it out on google maps, and yeah, should be a good spot to try for carp.

The pond is in Central Park in the Glebe in an area bordered by Bank and O'Connor on the west and east and Clemow and Glebe on the north and south. O'Connor passes over the dogleg at the point where the pond begins.

There's a very large willow tree on the edge of the pond. If you remember seeing it, it's probably the same place that you recall.

Not sure I want to fish for carp with a 4wt rod :) Besides, the edge of the pond is surrounded by a waist-high chain link fence, which would make disengaging the hook from the carp an interesting exercise. No fence along he dogleg though.

[redge]

For panfish in particular, you'd be better off fishing Dow's Lake. You can even fish it before they raise the water levels, though I've been told that the holdover weeds from the previous year can make for difficult fishing. As for eating the fish.....I throw everything back.

What do people make of this statement from Dow's Lake Marina on their web site at http://www.dowslake.com/marina.htm :

"Please note: We request that you do not fish at Dow’s Lake at any time, even off your own boat! Carp and sunfish do not take well to “catch and release”, and the water ends up being full of dead fish".

[Todd B.]

They've obviously had problems with some people that don't properly practice C&R. I can understand with the restaurants and such that they would not want to have a lot of dead fish stinking up the area. That being said, unless it is explicitly posted as "Private Property" or legally posted as "No Fishing", I would not worry much about it. Besides, if I were to fish it I'd most likely fist from the furthers docks (eastern) back towards the Arboretum.

[redge]

Yes, no doubt one has a right to fish at Dow's Lake. I imagine that the marina is talking about what they see, and what they think the cause is, rather than legal rights.

Cheers

[Eli]

For panfish in particular, you'd be better off fishing Dow's Lake. You can even fish it before they raise the water levels, though I've been told that the holdover weeds from the previous year can make for difficult fishing. As for eating the fish.....I throw everything back.

What do people make of this statement from Dow's Lake Marina on their web site at http://www.dowslake.com/marina.htm :

"Please note: We request that you do not fish at Dow’s Lake at any time, even off your own boat! Carp and sunfish do not take well to “catch and release”, and the water ends up being full of dead fish".

"carp and sunfish do not take well to catch and release". Man, that restaurant must have some highly trained biologists working for them.

I spoke to the city about this a while back. You're allowed to fish anywhere in Dow's lake as long as you're not on the marina's property.
MNR lists Dow's lake as an urban fishing spot. http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/fishing/ottawa/downtown.htm

[uberfish]

I've seen huge concentrations of sunfish along with a few good bass around the marina/restaurant and a few sunfish were a bit fungusy (?). Maybe they don't take well to french fries and other resto-food items.

[Musky51]

carp don't release well? you kidding me!

they usually take off fine as long as they are not dropped into a white bucket

[fishead-ed]

I saw a small mouth bass at the last "step" of the water stairs right beside the Pavillion where they rent the paddle boats last year...I was shocked to see a living thing in there...well perhaps going too far ...anything but carp lets say. I'd more expect to see a dead body in there than a small mouth bass.

As for eating fish in there...unless you like your head so much you want to grow another...I wouldn't

[Robert Goulet]

I don't think the "not eating your catch" thing is specific to Dow's Lake. I don't think there is anywhere in the Ottawa area that I would feel comfortable eating what I caught. No matter what that MNR guidebook says.

[FishingIsHealing]

I don't understand why the MNR says it's okay to eat from the Ottawa Area.......why don't they just tell the truth that the fish taste awful and they are contaminated....

I only start eating fish outside of a 1-2 hours radius away from Ottawa and even then, I don't eat anything below Ottawa that is east towards Montreal....I won't eat from Hawkesbury, Plantagenet, Petrie Island.....hell no, it is way too dirty for me......

But I will eat, upstream from Ottawa in the Ottawa river, I will eat in the Rideau river up near Rideau Ferry and Big Rideau Lake I will eat from.

It just depends on the waterway I guess.

I just don't understand why the MNR says it's okay to eat from the RIDEAU, even though everyone seems to be against it and think its not safe or good....

By theway If I was going to eat from the Rideau, it would be up past Kemptville and near Burritts Rapids.........Not in Dows lake......Dows lake is probably 10 times worse than anywhere on the rideau. The manmade canal is full of nasty carp and garbage.....yuck..

Good luck on your panfish adventure!

[joco]

hi FishingIsHealing

if they say its ok..because it is..

you can eat fish here localy..i do and been doing so for the past 35 years or so..mabe a bit more.

and my father and grandfather did..and it was lot worst then 40 years ago in that river..its better then it ever been...

mabe it those not look that way...but beleive me.


40 ago..or more ..all that wodd on the river..and all the snow that was dump right in the river..and all the pipes were going right in the river...

on ice make a hole and could not put the line down because there was to mutch..&%&% in that hole..truth. .


it is poluted to a certain %..but there is a lot wors bud..in some country they do it in the water then go swimimg..and its 500% if not more dirty then here.


dont think its becasue you eat fish frome higher ottawa river then its better.


joco.

[joco]

and it get better..did you no there still comercil fishing in the ottawa river....?

yes there is there 2 commercial permit for this section off the river...a bit higher fort coulonge area.

where do you think those fish goes.....fish market..

sturgeons..cat fish..etc.

and lot off those fish you buy at the market....you dont no where they are frome...could be frome water a lot worst then the ottawa river.. .

some restaurent here in the region do offer fish frome ottawa river..but its not said ottawa river fish on it.


joco